A Saiyan Odyssey
by ALP113
Summary: During Gohan's final battle with the android Cell, the young Saiyan is unexpectedly torn from his world and thrust head first into a new one. Here, in a world of vast oceans and new dangers, the young hero will undertake his next great adventure. Gohan/Harem
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hello everyone. I'm having a bit of a hot streak coming up with new stories and, being in a DBZ/One Piece mood, I decided to write my first crossover story for fanfiction.

Obviously I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the _**One Piece/Dragonball Z/Toriko**_ crossover that exists, and after watching it a few times, I was severely disappointed with it. To me, it didn't live up to the expectations that I was hoping for, as I remember reading a lot of other crossover fics written by other people with much better storylines.

I guess I just felt the OVA was too overcrowded, cheesy and bloated with fan service. I mean, the episodes are obviously just a marketing tactic the creators used to peak viewer interests in the manga and the shows, I get it, but honestly, it really compromised the entire experience for me. Not to mention the fact that the animation was lackluster, the tension was nonexistent and the creators put DBZ characters, people more than capable of annihilating entire solar systems, into a universe where other characters clearly could not.

This leads me to believe that either the creators either: dumbed down the DBZ characters to make them fit into the crossover, they forgot that the DBZ characters were super-powered to the point of being Superman-tier, planet destroying monsters, or the DBZ characters just aren't as strong as I originally thought.

Either way, a lot of things happened and now I wrote this story.

Just a heads up, this entire story will focus on Gohan being the main character (since he's my favorite by far), where his story crosses with Luffy's adventures and we'll be following the One Piece story from his perspective, and how his presence in the One Piece universe crosses over and plays into future events. I guess you can call this a One Piece AU fic… with Gohan in it.

I think it'll be pretty entertaining and hopefully you guys will feel the same way.

Hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _Prologue_

 _Pain._

 _That was the only sensation Gohan could feel right now as he continued to pour every last speck of energy he had left into his_ _ **Kamehameha**_ _wave._

 _Legs trembling, muscles burning, and bones aching like there was no tomorrow, the young hero of Earth gritted his teeth and fought back against the overwhelming urge to keel over and pass out. If he didn't, not only would it mean the end for him, but the end of everything and everyone he cared about._

" _Not yet! I'm not finished yet!" the child screamed in his head, desperately fighting to keep his footing as energy continued to spew out of his palm like an unending torrent. He still had more to give. But if he had any hope of beating the man he was fighting against, he had to time his next move just right. Otherwise it would all be for nothing!_

 _When the abomination known as Cell threatened to blow himself up and take the entire Earth with him, Gohan's father, Goku, jumped in at the last second and sacrificed himself to save his friends and their home from destruction. Gohan, not willing to let his father pay for the mistake he made of not finishing the battle when he had the chance, pleaded with him not to go through with it._

 _But it was too late._

 _With one last, heartfelt farewell to his son, Goku teleported the insane android away and perished in a fiery explosion in the furthest reaches of the cosmos. Gohan's cry of anguish echoed across the battlefield, marking the moment of his father's passing and the man's selfless sacrifice._

 _When the chaos and sadness brought on by the incident finally died down, everybody thought that that was the end of it. The battle had been won and peace had finally been returned to the planet. Upon collecting the broken pieces of their team and helping a grief-stricken Gohan to his feet, the Z-fighters then prepared to head home and fix the damages done to the Earth._

 _But then, just as they were on the verge of leaving, the unthinkable happened._

 _Cell returned, stronger than ever, and immediately set about enacting his revenge on the very people who fought and humiliated him. He killed Trunks, striking the time traveler down with a single shot, and then threatened to do the same to everybody else. That was until Gohan stepped forward in a show of unwavering grit and fortitude, determined to defend his friends._

 _From what he felt, the demi-Saiyan was confident he could defeat the android, even with the monster's newly acquired, Super Perfect state. Thanks to his newfound strength of will and character, backed up by the power of his Ascended Saiyan form, Gohan was no longer afraid to stand up to the fiend. With the courage and resolve left behind by his father, the young warrior intended to put an end to this nightmare once and for all._

 _Unfortunately the young Saiyan was unable to do anything, as Vegeta, enraged by the loss of his son, charged forward in a blind fury and hit Cell with everything he had. He blasted the android in a fiery onslaught of landscape reducing attacks, all of which were aimed to disintegrate the insect and scatter his ashes to the wind. For one brief, glorious moment, the group believed the prince actually had a shot._

 _But once again the Z-fighters' hopes were dashed when Cell, unharmed by the Saiyan's impressive display of power, knocked Vegeta down and prepared to finish him off. The killing move he sent at the stricken fighter prompted Gohan to take immediate action; the boy rushing to the man's aid and taking the blast in the back, saving Vegeta from a premature death._

 _The shot to his shoulder not only knocked a big chunk out of Gohan's arm and rendered it completely useless in the form of a bloody scar, it also took a huge bite out of his energy and any lingering hope the Z-fighters had of defeating the android._

 _This inevitably boiled down to one final beam struggle between the gutsy Gohan and the mighty Cell where, under the guidance of his father's voice, the demi-Saiyan gathered up whatever nerve and strength he had left in him, and pressed forward with one last, desperate attack, in the form of a single-handed_ _ **Kamehameha**_ _wave._

 _When both warriors' blasts met in the center of the battlefield, things seemed to be pretty evenly matched, a dome of raging energy forming as their powers clashed in a planet shaking tug of war. That was until Cell started to gradually overwhelm his opponent's blast with his own, feeding more energy into his attack and nearly causing Gohan to buckle under the strain._

" _You fool! Don't you realize yet that you're up against the perfect weapon?" the android bellowed arrogantly. With a deafening roar and a thunderclap, Cell's aura intensified as he poured even more energy into his blast, pushing Gohan's back even further._

 _The android cackled and taunted the boy incessantly, doing everything in his power to make the teen's last remaining moments on Earth as painful as possible._

 _It was unbearable enough without the man's insults. Nevertheless, Gohan bit and held his position to keep from toppling over and being swept away by the tidal wave of Cell's own blast. He thought things couldn't get any worse. But when he saw his friends Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha and Tien jump in to attack Cell from behind, his eyes widened in shock._

" _Please guys! Not too close! Be careful!"_

" _ **Gohan! They can take care of themselves! Focus your energy son!"**_ _Goku coached telepathically from the netherworld, keeping his boy's head in the game._

" _I-I'm trying, dad!" Gohan shouted back, turning his attention back to his attack. He kept up the pace, not wanting to burn himself out too early and not willing to lose out either. However, when he saw Cell power up and knock his friends away, the young Saiyan warrior's eyes widened in horror. "He hurt them! HE HURT THEM! RAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" With a roar of effort, Gohan poured more energy into his attack, briefly overtaking Cell's and coming close to knocking the android off his feet._

 _The android struggled to hold his position as he skidded along the floor. But a quick power up and a thrust of his hands quickly put him back in the game._

" _I won't let this child defeat me! Not again!" Cell growled above the deafening storm of destructive energy clashing in the center. "Both you and your precious planet are finished!"_

 _Piccolo, struggling to his feet after being knocked down by the bug's aura, spoke up above the winds rushing over the desert. "No, Gohan. I won't let you die all alone out there. Because kid, you're the first person to show me what… it means to have a friend." A smile graced his lips as he stood up and fired another blast at Cell's back, hitting the android square in the spine and putting him under more pressure._

 _Following the Namekian's example, Krillin also stepped up, "D-Don't know why I'm getting up again. It'll be much easier to keel over. I know back in the day… I never would have done this." The bald fighter grinned as he set his sights on their ridiculously strong opponent. "Guess I only have Goku and Gohan to blame. Those two really changed me for keeps." He then gave one last, good-natured chuckle, as his last prevailing thoughts turned to his friends and Android 18. "And you know, some day… I'll get them for that." Taking a stand directly beside Piccolo, Krillin brought both his hands up and, with a gutsy yell of his own, launched a blast at the android's shoulder._

 _Seconds later the two warriors were joined by Tien and Yamcha, the two humans yelling out as they fired two golden blasts at the android, who visibly balked under their combined assault._

" _Surpassing Goku has been my goal ever since I became a martial artist! Without him, there's no way I would have come this far! And how did I repay him? I stood there and watched him die! I will not make the same mistake with his son!" Tien thought resolutely, yelling out as he pushed more power into his beam._

 _Yamcha did so too, the scar-faced warrior digging his feet into the ground as another spurt of energy gushed out of his hands to drill into Cell's spine. "Goku! I hope you know how great a kid you've got! Like father and son, right?" the man chuckled in his head as his eyes shone with determination, "Well I won't let you down!"_

 _While Cell increased his expulsion of energy in an effort to fend off his attackers in the rear, Gohan pushed back to take advantage of the situation, the situation escalating by the second._

 _Feeling his son's hesitation, Goku yelled in encouragement, "GOHAN! RAISE IT HIGHER! YOU CAN WIN THIS ONE!" He sensed the boy respond and, as energy continued to rush out from both combatants, the Earth started to shake._

 _The attacks from behind beginning to irritate and distract him, a furious and unwavering Cell shook his head and reeled forward. "RAAAAH! NO CHANCE! YOU WORMS HAVE NO CHANCE!" the android roared at the top of his lungs. Then, with one final burst of power, the android fired off his aura in the opposite direction, hitting the four attackers behind him with the equivalent of a solar storm._

 _Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha desperately held their ground, continuing to blast Cell in the back through the hurricane of golden energy hitting them in the face. At first it looked they were going to succeed. But as it turned out, their opponent was not going to be taken down so easily. Out of nowhere, another surge of energy was sent rocketing towards them, knocking the group of heroes off their feet and sending them flying into the distance. The ground they were standing on was literally ripped apart by the shockwave, rubble and debris hurtling into the sky like confetti._

 _Watching the terrifying development from Otherworld, a nervous King Kai suddenly looked up in panic when he sensed the clear sign of impending disaster. "Oh no! The Earth is going to blow!" he exclaimed, putting an alarmed look on Goku's face._

 _The man couldn't have been any more on the mark._

 _Due to the amount of energy being expelled by the two powerful warriors clashing on its surface, the Earth was slowly starting to fall apart. The tectonic plates holding the lithosphere together cracked and parted, the landscape around the battlefield splintered into dozens of enormous chasms, one of which almost swallowed up Hercule Satan and his crew, and mountains ranges across the entire planet began to erupt. The atmosphere also started to suffer under the growing pressure, a cyclone forming directly over the warring duo and threatening to rip the Earth asunder._

 _With the end of the planet fast approaching, Gohan, feeling his opponent feed more power to his blast, started to slide backwards under the forces tearing around him._

 _Regaining consciousness where they landed a full mile away from the battlefield, Piccolo and the other defenders of Earth looked up, disappointment and defeat reflected in their eyes._

" _G-Gohan!" the Namekian shouted._

" _We… tried," Tien coughed from his spot, hands gripping the dirt in frustration._

 _Groaning as his own consciousness threatened to give out, Krillin choked out an apology of his own, "We're all sorry, Goku. We all… did our best to be heroes like you, but…"_

" _We're just… not enough," Yamcha finished._

 _Their words of sorrow and dismay were drowned out by Gohan's beam struggle a full kilometer away. As Cell's blast gradually began to overwhelm his, the boy heard his father speak to him from the other side, his silhouette appearing behind his in a last spurt of encouragement._

" _ **Release it, Gohan! Unleash everything you've got! All the pain he's caused… all the people he's hurt… TAKE IT… AND MAKE IT YOUR POWEEEEER!"**_ _the Saiyan father shouted._

 _Feeling victory was well within his grasp, the manic Cell shot a menacing grin towards his foe before yelling at the top of his lungs, "SAY GOODBYYYEEEEE!" The man then laughed as he gave the last of his energy into his attack, which began to rip into the planet and swallow Gohan's whole. As the countryside shook and burned, it seemed like it was all over, and the Earth would meet its end in a raging, blue inferno._

 _However, just as Cell was about to finish his foe off, without warning, a golden sphere of energy suddenly appeared in the sky and shot towards the android in a blur. The android barely had enough time to look up in shock when the attack struck him with the force of a comet, causing his entire body to lurch forward, his legs to buckle, and his control over his blast to shudder. Groaning in pain, Cell looked up to see where the hell that had attack had come from and saw to his disbelief a conscious Vegeta, assumed in his Super Saiyan form, hovering safely overhead with his hand extended._

 _The android looked in disbelief, "VEGETA!"_

 _Spotting the opening, Goku bellowed, "NOW'S YOUR CHAAAAAAAAAAANCE!"_

 _Gohan saw it too and, at his father's instruction, the boy leant forward and, with a mighty roar of rage and effort, unleashed all of the remaining ki he had left into his blast. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" His energy tore down the length of his beam in an unending flood to collide with Cell's, his attack effortlessly swallowing up the android's blast and engulfing the monster in a tidal wave of power._

 _As the inferno of the blast ripped through his entire body like lightning, the stunned android barely had enough time to look down the length of the attack to see his opponent marching towards him, energy continuing to spill out of his palm in an unrelenting river of death. When the ground beneath the two warriors began to disintegrate and Gohan directed the brunt of his attack safely towards the heavens, Cell felt every fiber of his being begin to crumble and burn inside the roaring tsunami of blue fire. The android screamed in terror and agony as his body was literally ripped to pieces, before one last spurt from Gohan's attack swept him up and sent his disintegrating form down the length of his beam._

" _I-I AM… PERFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECT!" the android cried out one last time, moments before his body crumbled into nothing and every last cell making up his form dissipated._

 _But the attack didn't stop there. After swallowing up Cell, the massive beam tore a path straight up into space and across the solar system, ripping a hole through Earth's atmosphere all the way into the cosmos._

 _With so much power concentrated around a single point, it wouldn't surprise anyone if it ripped a hole through the fabric of reality._

 _Amidst the twisting energy of his attack leaving his body and the surface of the planet itself, Gohan, feeling the last of his ki dissipate, closed his eyes and allowed the sweet embrace of sleep claim him. When his consciousness became filled with a blinding white light, the boy swore he heard his father's voice speak to him one last time._

 _As hazy as it was, Gohan was able to hear him loud and clear, and it put a big smile on his face._

" _Gohan… I'm so proud of you…"_

OOO

Feeling his energy levels hit rock bottom, the young Saiyan hero released his hold on his Super Saiyan 2 form and, unable to maintain his position any longer, fell out of the sky. What followed after that was a full minute of free fall, during which time all the child was able to see and feel was the pull of gravity, the cold rush of wind against his body, and the sight of cloud masses darting past him. These sensations indicated that during his final desperate spurt against his opponent, he'd somehow managed to ascend into the Earth's atmosphere above the cloud layer.

This didn't strike him as odd in the slightest, not only because he'd intentionally directed his blast away from the planet and its inhabitants, but also because he was too drained of energy to fully comprehend his current situation.

Gohan just let himself fall and, several seconds after bursting through the cloud cover towards the planet below, his battered body finally crashed into solid ground. When the dust settled moments later, it revealed the eleven year old child lying sprawled out in a crater of his own making, his purple gi in tatters, his body covered in cuts and bruises, and a whopping big smile on his face.

Unable to move, with the only feeling being a dull numbness flooding through his body, all the teenager could do was pant and gasp exhaustedly, a pained chuckle leaving his lips with every second exhale.

"I… I did it…" Gohan exclaimed in a hoarse voice, his eyes opening to stare up into the cool blue sky above, "I did it…" He was overjoyed, no… _thrilled_ … that he'd finally defeated Cell and put an end to their nightmare for good.

His muscles were stinging, his arm was shot and rendered temporarily useless, and he was completely devoid of ki, sure… but that was the price he'd been willing to pay to win. And now, with the Earth's most dangerous threat down for the count, Gohan could finally kick back and catch his breath. All that was left for him to do now was lie there, in the middle of the scorching desert, and wait for his friends to come pick him up.

However, thanks to being so completely out of it, not only was Gohan unable to register to the fact that his friends were nowhere in sight, but he was no longer in the desert where the Cell Games had taken place.

Not even close.

Unbeknownst to the young Saiyan, his broken down and battered body had ended up crash-landing in a small clearing on a large island, a tropical forest covering every inch of it except its beach, and an enormous rocky mountain situated in its center. Palm, fig and kapok trees dominated the entire landmass and, due to the isolated nature of the island, it meant that the place was completely devoid of civilization.

Well… human civilization anyway.

As Gohan lay in the middle of the forest, eyes closed and chest heaving, the canopy around him suddenly began to stir and, over the next couple of minutes, a series of shadows emerged from the undergrowth. Filling the branches and vines encircling the area, a clan of ring-tailed lemurs took up positions around the clearing, where they could see the demi-Saiyan sprawled out in a shallow pit.

Having been drawn to the sound of an explosion, the group of wary animals kept their distance as they watched this strange creature lying at the bottom of the crater pant and chuckle. They watched him. Their curious, yellow eyes fixed firmly on the strange, hairless mammal, wondering if it was dangerous or not.

When they assessed he wasn't, a handful of the braver lemurs leapt down from the trees and came in for a closer look. Soon enough, about twelve of the furry black and white critters were sitting around Gohan's landing spot, where a couple of them began prodding and poking at his body. One lemur in particular, an adolescent male, hopped onto Gohan's chest and peered directly down at the boy's face.

Registering to the feeling of the animal perched on his sternum, Gohan looked up at it. Vision blurry and his other senses malfunctioning, the demi-Saiyan completely ignored the series of yellow eyes staring at him and, cracking a happy smile, spoke in a croaky voice.

"Hey Piccolo… Krillin… I did it… we won…" Gohan murmured, before letting his head drop and his eyes droop. "We won. Time to… go to sleep." With that, the child's head lulled to the side and he lost consciousness.

The little lemur on Gohan's chest blinked, unable to understand what the boy had said. Instead of scampering away and rejoining the rest of the clan, the little critter perched on the boy's chest decided to curl up on his stomach and sleep as well, along with the other lemurs that'd gathered around the Saiyan.

Obviously it would be a while before the teen regained consciousness. Until then, the animals surrounding the young hero would watch over him and hopefully make sure he made it through the night…

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's note: And that's the first chapter. Gohan's battle ends in a win, but something unexpected has taken place. lol


	2. The Mysterious Visitor

**A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _The Mysterious Visitor_

(Seven Years Later)

Eyes flickering open to be greeted by the sight of the wooden beams holding his ceiling together, a previously dormant Gohan gave a loud yawn before sitting up. Scratching his head and shaking the sleep out of his eyes, the topless young male, with a mane of long, black, spiky hair growing down to his shoulders and a noticeable scar on the corner of his left eyebrow, then took a moment to glance around his room, where he was quickly greeted by the various 'appliances' and fixtures making up his humble little home.

Same bed of leaves and straw, same rack of farming tools over in the corner, same shelf of fruit and other random trinkets, same dining table made out of bamboo, and same makeshift hangars suspended in the rafters, upon which hung his small selection of daily clothing.

After a quick check of his place and making certain that everything was accounted for, Gohan then prepared to get up, only to become aware of a small weight pressing down on his stomach. When he looked down, he quickly noticed a pair of yellow and black spotted cats, ocelots, sleeping together on top of him. The young Gohan shook his head in amusement and clicked his tongue, waking the pair of animals and drawing their blue eyes towards him. "Yo. Morning Shay. Morning Luka." Happily petting both critters on the head and earning a pair of purrs in return, he then shooed them off, getting up from underneath his blanket and wandering over to his front door.

Joining his two ocelot friends, who were now waiting for him outside, Gohan, with a purple gi top and towel in hand, stretched underneath the orange sky and gave a pleasant, well-earned yawn. Taking note of the open valley in front of him, the crops growing in neat, tidy rows, and the jungle circling the area not too far from him, the teen nodded in approval and wandered around the side of the house.

It was here he found a trough of water carved into a tree trunk, a rack of drying fish sitting alongside it, and various baskets of scavenged food. When Gohan moved over to the former unit, he immediately grabbed the scoop sitting on its edge, dunked it through the pool, and poured the water over the top of his head, at the same time running his hand through his locks. Using the second scoop to drink, the eighteen year old then glanced back the way he'd come, where he saw his two ocelots watching from nearby.

He then shot them a playful grin, "Hungry?" When he saw the pair perk up with interest, Gohan chuckled, grabbed a couple of the fish hanging from his makeshift drying rack, and tossed them over to his friends. As soon as he saw Shay and Luka catch the bass between their paws and dig in, the demi-Saiyan then nodded in a directive manner. "Alright, you two. Eat up, because we've got another long day ahead of us..."

OOO

What followed from that point onwards was a very lively and energized morning for Gohan.

After feeding his two ocelot companions, the demi-Saiyan then went for a long run around the island, in which he spent a majority of it sprinting through the jungles, navigating the hills and scaling the mountainsides. As usual he started off the run with his two wild cat friends, a trek that soon attracted the attention of the clan of lemurs living in the area, whom Gohan had also become acquainted with. The animals followed, chattering excitedly and giving the teen some much needed company.

Upon completing a dozen laps of the jungle, the Saiyan hit the beach, where he spent the next portion of his session doing hard sprints around the entire landmass at full speed, bare foot, with a set of heavy weights clinging to his body worth several tons apiece. Both Shay and Luka opted to not join him on this segment and simply watched from their usual spot on a nearby hill, counting the laps Gohan did as the sun finished rising. They wouldn't have been able to keep up with him anyway, considering he was moving in the form of a barely visible purple blur, trailing a cloud of sand and dust behind him.

When his running was done, Gohan rested and sat down for breakfast, sharing a spot by his shack with the lemurs and animals that came by to visit him. Before the food had even finished digesting, the demi-Saiyan was back to it for an immediate second session. He trained in the fields; shadow sparring by himself and using the _Multi-Form Technique_ to simulate a fighting situation, all under the watchful eyes of the island's only inhabitants. During this period he would practice going Super Saiyan, upping his weights and letting his powered up clones gang up on him. He would then push it to Super Saiyan 2, and then get an even bigger workout.

When his few hours of hard sparring were over, Gohan worked on maintaining his transformation for as long as he could, while at the same time proceeding with his other chores. He would fill up his fresh water supply and walk around the highlands, foraging for usable herbs and spices, and look for quail eggs. Following that he would then go for a swim out in the open ocean, holding his breath for as long as he could while hunting for fish, squid and alike amongst the vast stretches of coral. He would then bring his catch back to shore and make sushi for lunch and dinner, delighting in the creative works he was able to bring to the table.

This part of the day was then followed up with some more mental training; meditating and reenacting legendary battles in his mind by matching up past opponents with his current self for a decent slice of the afternoon. Afterwards, Gohan would then follow up these exercises by firing blasts into the ocean and sky, and work on manipulating his ki in a variety of different ways. With no civilizations anywhere in the vicinity to be alerted to his presence, he was free to expend as much energy as he pleased. He even tested how far he could go up into the atmosphere, fighting in a region with little to no air whatsoever, seeing how much pressure he could put his body under.

Once he was satisfied with feeling lightheaded, the Saiyan then headed back down to Earth and finished up with one last session, experimenting and analyzing his power. This part of his training was the most fun for the young Saiyan, since he was discovering a new thing almost every week, which he would then practice the next day. Gohan then returned home for dinner and retired to an empty hillside overlooking the ocean, where he could watch the sun set alongside Shay and Luka.

OOO

Listening to the waves rolling against the beach, Gohan, adorned in his purple gi, blue obi, black training boots, and white cape similar to the uniform Piccolo had given him back when he was younger, except without the accentuated shoulder parts, finished his meal and set his plate aside. From there, he watched the sun as it began to disappear over the horizon, at the same time sparing a glance at the two cats lying next to him, who were both doing the exact same thing, side-by-side.

Cracking a smile, the young adult focused his gaze back onto the gradually darkening, orange sky beyond and, his expression becoming serious, allowed his mind to wander.

"It's been seven years and two months …" Gohan whispered to himself. That's approximately how much time had passed since he arrived in this strange new world. The number of days he'd spent in isolation prompted him to take a deep breath of amazement. "Honestly, I didn't think I would've lasted this long." He spared a glance towards the ocelots sitting next to him and nodded in their direction. "What do you guys think?"

Hearing his question loud and clear, Shay meowed haughtily, putting a frown on the young man's face.

"Oh, what? You and Luka had a bet on whether or not I would croak or something?" he asked. An amused grin then formed on his face when the other ocelot responded in kind… with a bit of attitude he noticed. "Well sorry to disappoint you, little lady, but I for one don't give up so easily." He added to this by picking up a nearby shell and chucking it at the cat, only to watch Luka duck it and hiss at him, "If I did, my dad and Piccolo would be really disappointed with me."

Gohan remembered the past half a decade well.

On the first few days following his crash landing seven years ago, he'd spent most of the subsequent hours drifting in and out of consciousness. When the week finally came around where he was able to regain much of his vitality and energy, it soon became apparent that the teen Saiyan had wound up in a place far, far away from the barren wasteland the Z-fighters' final showdown with Cell had taken place. It took him several hours of crawling, limping and scouting of the surrounding countryside for him to eventually discover he'd ended up on a remote island somewhere in the tropics.

Determined to find out what the heck happened and where he was, Gohan then attempted to make contact with his friends. But after hours of raising his power level, reaching out telepathically and stretching the limits of his ki reading abilities, the young warrior quickly found out that none of his friends were anywhere on this planet. There wasn't a single familiar ki signature belonging to Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien or anybody else in sight. The only feedback he received from his scan came from several dozen extreme weather systems and what he believed were civilizations hundreds of kilometers away in all directions, with each cluster never appearing in the same place twice, oddly enough.

Judging from what he was able to gauge from his first examination, taking into account the unusual scattering of ki signatures and the foreign climates, Gohan quickly deduced that he was no longer on his home planet.

Sadly he was unable to investigate any further into the matter, as his battle with Cell had not only left him completely depleted of energy to the point of being unable to fly, but he'd also lost the use of his left arm. Thus, with his situation grim and with no way for him to call for help, the young fighter quickly went about setting up camp. His many months of survival training when he was a child helped him greatly in that regard, as he was able to dig-up, scrounge, forage, and gather all the material he needed to eat, drink and sleep.

The next three months afterwards Gohan spent in recovery, using herbs and plants he'd found in the jungle to create ointments for his grievous wounds and vegetation to create makeshift crutches and a sling. He was also forced to perform his own physical therapy, where he had to pop his dislocated arm back into place and get it moving properly again. By the time all of his injuries had healed up and he was back up to full strength, his Saiyan genes giving him a very satisfying zenkai boost, the only things he had left from his trying ordeal were a couple of really cool scars.

Touching his left shoulder, Gohan felt the telltale signs of an 'X' shaped gash running up and down his shoulder, with one mark running down to his pectoral while the other ran a bit down his back. He also reached up to touch the small scar he received over his left eye, which ran right through his eyebrow. The appearance of it had him chuckle at how insignificant it was compared to the other, more prominent one.

"Oh well… it could've been worse," he remarked to himself, not really wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Apparently his final bout against Cell had not only served in aggravating his initial injury, but whatever debris resulted from their tug-of-war match had also left him with a few additional cuts and bruises on the left side of his body that he could've done without. Though these injuries didn't irritate him in any way, they still served as a clear reminder of the pain he had to suffer before eventually arriving at his current predicament.

But, as it turns out, his physical recovery hadn't been the only thing he had to contend with.

In the many weeks following the start of his healing process, Gohan had been bombarded with a series of emotions and attacks, ranging from crippling grief, to heart racing panic, and spirit breaking sadness, all of which he knew were a direct result of his confrontation with Cell.

He remembered everything from that ordeal and many of these memories still haunted him to this day. He remembered tormenting his adversary to the point that the monster not only regurgitated Android 18#, but also threatened to blow up the planet. He remembered his father jumping in and sacrificing himself to save the Earth from a premature end. The words he'd spoken to him in that moment just seconds before he disappeared, continued to echo inside of Gohan's head like a bad spell; a reel from a bad dream he was forced to endure day, after day, after day.

When Gohan looked at his present state; being sent to this island, torn away from his friends and family, locked away from the reality that he knew, and being forced to live with the memories of what he considered his greatest failure, the young warrior was able to draw up one logical conclusion.

He'd been sent to this world as punishment.

What other thing could an eleven year old boy in his position believe? It made perfect sense. The arrogance and viciousness Gohan demonstrated during that battle had lead to his father's death and placed all of the people he loved in harm's way. Because of his actions, the world, in all its infinite wisdom, saw fit to send him away from his home and place him on this island, as if not wanting anything to do with him anymore.

Considering everything that'd happened, he couldn't deny the truth even if he wanted to. He'd committed a crime of hubris and wrath of the highest degree, and this was the price he had to pay for it. Even though Gohan knew he'd won that battle and saved all of the people he loved, he knew that his actions and choices during that battle would remain fresh in the minds of his companions, and he didn't believe he could face them or his mother knowing that he'd let them all down.

Frankly it was a lesson he had coming to him… and one that Gohan was determined to learn from. This inevitably led him to his present condition.

After figuring that this was the hand he'd been dealt by the universe, Gohan resigned himself to his fate. Instead of going off to make contact with the world beyond or find a way back home, the demi-Saiyan chose to remain on this island, transforming it into his own personal purgatory and home, where he would then spend the next seven years of his life surviving, living, training, and rebuilding himself.

He wanted to make the best out of a horrible situation, where he would return to his roots and restart his values from scratch; to learn never to make the same mistakes again. The best way to start a new life was to have rock solid foundations and that was exactly what Gohan intended to achieve; to become a strong fighter who people could depend on, just like his father.

In order to find the peace and serenity he sought, Gohan made a connection with his island abode. He got to know his surroundings, he became familiar with his environment, and he even learned how to communicate with the animals. The latter was a trait he hadn't used for quite a while and it was here he felt he could influence some big changes in his character. In time, he was quickly able to make friends with the lemur clans inhabiting this island and the wild cats that prowled through the undergrowth, including his two ocelot companions. Both of whom had become close friends.

Apparently all of the animals living on this island had quite a number of characters amongst them, which Gohan found out during his frequent interactions with them. Shay and Luka in particular, being proactive members of a feisty, feline family, both had a bit of a mean streak about them that the young Saiyan found sweet and endearing in that vulgar, older sibling kind of way. The two ocelots would always, without fail, hassle and chat with their neighbor day after day, and enlighten him with their colorful, animal wisdom. So, after seven years of hanging out with two cats who pretty much acted like very socially active, naughty and outgoing sisters, it was kind of understandable that they'd kind of rubbed off on the young man by way of their personality.

Aside from his education, Gohan also spent a majority of his time training. Using the material his father, mother, Piccolo, and Krillin had passed down to him as a ground anchor, he was able to build on his fighting skills and strengths, and file out most of his weaknesses. Though it took him a year, he was able to fully master his newly discovered Ascended Saiyan form (or Super Saiyan 2 as he liked to call it), allowing him to transform into it without any effort or exertion whatsoever. He also made a few more interesting discoveries in the months to follow, some of which were extremely volatile and he was still trying to get a handle on.

While technique and ability had been a strong focus of his over the last seven years, as it had been one of the areas that hampered him the most during his battle with Cell, he also began imagining creative ways to improve and diversify his training. This led to him developing techniques he remembered witnessing his friends using firsthand, including the _Multi-Form Technique_ practiced by Piccolo and Tien, and the guard breakers used by Vegeta, which came in real handy during his physical work outs. Utilizing his experience as a guide, he was also able to reverse engineer his father's teleportation technique and Piccolo's magic materialization ability.

These proved to be his most difficult areas to learn. While one of them had him crashing through mountains and trees for the better part of a year, the other one had him incinerating a great number of grass patches for a further six months. Eventually he was able to get both moves down to a certain extent, which enabled him to create new sets of clothing and basic household items, so that he didn't have to use banana leaves as underwear and toilet paper.

Having none of these simple privileges meant his first three years on the island were a living, caveman hell. Granted it was an experience worth having, he felt so much better when he was able to create a decent bed sheet and a change of pants after his last pair disintegrated.

This eventually led to where he was now. Though he altered his routine every day to keep things fresh and interesting, at the end of each waking hour, Gohan always found himself in the same spot and the same seat, staring out over the ocean and watching as the sun vanished into the abyss.

Honestly, his weeks spent here had given him plenty of opportunities to meditate and reflect, as well as find something close to what he would call inner peace.

But despite all of his advancements and growth over the last seven years, which he'd used both productively and fruitfully, Gohan couldn't help but feel he was missing something.

It wasn't a secret. He missed his home. He missed his family and his friends. More to the point, he missed interacting with people, going on adventures and exploring the world. It was partly the reason why he tried developing his own _Instant Transmission_ technique; so that he could try to find his way back if he ever became desperate. Though his isolation was something he felt was necessary for him to learn, after seven years of being alone with nothing but animals and his own sense of reflection to keep him company, Gohan now felt that maybe it was time to get out there and check out this strange new world.

His frequent training excursions into the upper atmosphere of the planet had shown him that not only was this world similar to Earth and mostly comprised of ocean, at least eighty percent from what he had seen, but it was also massive.

No. It wasn't just massive. That was an understatement. It was gargantuan. A super, enormous terrestrial planet unlike anything he'd ever seen before, which he had to estimate was at least a dozen times larger than Earth, and that was a big deal. From the highest point he could reach before being exposed to the crushing vacuum of space, the curvature of the world seemed to stretch on forever, a fact that had his insides quiver with excitement. The thought of the kinds of civilizations and landmasses that were out there, just waiting to be discovered, made him long to get out there all the more.

However, as eager as he was to leave this place, a couple of things were still holding him back.

First and foremost, he had no idea what the rest of the planet was like. Though he could sense enormous energy collections here and there, some of them ridiculously immense by his standards, he had no idea who to turn to or where to begin. Hell, he didn't even know what kind of currency the people of this world used or whether they spoke his language.

What's more, he also didn't want to abandon everything he'd built here over the last seven years. Not right away. After all, this was his own little slice of barely organized paradise and, though it didn't seem like it at times, he was happy here…

Kind of…

Sensing he was getting too attached and bogged down in his own indolence and lack of confidence, Gohan shook his head to rid himself of all negative pretences, before turning to smirk down at his friends Shay and Luka.

"I think it's time for me to leave, girls," the demi-Saiyan said.

The twin cats stared at him, before the ocelot on his left gave an inquisitive sounding meow.

Gohan chuckled at the feline's question. "Am I ready to rejoin my kind? Well…" He quickly rolled his shoulders thoughtfully, "that remains to be seen. Though my social skills are a little rusty and I haven't had a proper haircut in over seven years, I think I'm confident enough to get back into the game. I mean, I _am_ the most powerful person on this planet, as far as I'm concerned. On a world this big, that's got to count for something, right?"

Honestly, he had no idea. From what he could sense across this ball of water, there was bound to be several things out there that could give him a challenge. The Saiyan-side of his character he'd been cultivating and training over the last half a decade was screaming at him, demanding him to find someone strong enough to fight. It was part of his biology.

When Luka and Shay meowed at him, Gohan gave a heartfelt laugh and stood up, stretching as the sun finally disappeared from sight. "I won't know unless I try." After throwing back the cape keeping his body warm, he then placed his hands on his hips and grinned at his feline companions. Hearing Shay meow then drew a nod from the hybrid. "Alright then, I'll make you two a deal. When the universe sends me a sign, telling me to get off my useless ass and get out there, _then_ I will go out and explore the world. How's that sound?"

Luka mewled again, getting up to arch her back and stretch her paws. This drew a lighthearted chuckle from Gohan.

"Will I fly? Nah. Where's the fun in that?" Gohan chuckled, placing his hands behind his head and beginning to walk back to his shack in the jungle, followed by his two roommates. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do this right."

After all, he had nothing but energy and free time on his hands, both of which he was willing to spend generously.

XXX

(Several days later)

(Morning)

On the shores of the massive, tropical island situated in the East Blue, a large brigantine style ship had just finished drifting into the shallows. Flying a tattered black flag with a standard skull-and-cross bone design, save for the addition of sideburns and the two red hour glasses positioned on either side, the crew of this vessel wasted no time in dropping anchor and deploying a gangway down to the sand. Once their ship and the bridge were safely in position, a group of over a dozen men disembarked.

All of them dressed in different outfits and armed to the teeth with all kinds of weapons, ranging from cutlasses to semi-automatic flintlock pistols, the group of unsavory characters scattered themselves across the beach, depositing the assortment of chests and cargo they were hauling. Judging from the delighted grins on their faces, they were obviously pleased with their "finds".

"Damn, that was a good week," one of the pirates exclaimed. "There's no way we would've been able to make this kind of money hunting on the Grand Line."

"That's the beauty of the East Blue for you," a burly sailor spoke up, setting his chest of cash down and massaging his back. "The navy patrolling these waters are pitiful compared to the monsters on _that_ ridiculous part of the ocean."

"Yeah. Screw Don Krieg and his lot. Let's stick to this area and keep raking in the dough!" another man who'd been carrying a crate of scotch, whisky and rum shouted, before holding up one of the aforementioned bottles to toast to their success.

While the rest of the pirates gathered around to celebrate, the last man to disembark from the vessel, the first mate, a tall Caucasian figure with auburn hair, wearing a blue naval coat, black slacks and top, and a saber sheathed at his side, descended the gangplank, dragging with him a second figure by a chain.

A stark contrast to the burly slobs that were the ship's crew, the person the first mate was pulling along was a fair-skinned, slender, curvaceous and well endowed young girl, with brown eyes, and long, braided pink hair and two bangs on either side of her face. She was also wearing a tattered brown, oversized shirt that stopped halfway down her thighs, which was obviously the bare minimum her captors had forced her to wear, since they couldn't find anything else. It wasn't like she was in any position to argue with them anyway, as not only did she have a pair of shackles slapped to her wrists, she also had one wrapped around her neck, with a thick chain attached to it and being held by the man in front of her.

Shuffling down the gangway with a heavy chest of silver held in her arms, the young girl gave a yelp of pain as the first mate tugged at her leash and forced her to move forward. "Quit dragging your feet, girl," the man ordered. When she reached the shore moments later, she then set the large coffer down and knelt beside it to catch her breath. All of a sudden, she was kicked in the back by her warden's boot, pushing her against the hard box. "Not far enough! Keep moving. That's it."

The crew of pirates gathered up ahead leered at the prisoner, before the one that had spoken first, wearing a flak jacket and armed with a cutlass, commented on his superior's actions. "Hey, Lewis. Go easy on the little lady. We don't want to mess her up too badly."

"Yeah. I mean, what else will we have to look at afterwards if you do?" the burliest member of the crew asked while grinning in a joking manner, "You?"

"No one wants to be staring at your pale, freckled ass, all day long." This remark earned a round of laughs from the rest of the boys.

"Ha-ha." The first mate chuckled at his crew's comments, at the same time feeding the girl more chain as she pushed the enormous chest further up the beach. "Don't worry, lads. I'm not hurting her too badly. Besides…" Stepping forward, he then booted her up the backside for extra measure, causing her to fall face first into the chest and let out another shout of pain. "She's a tough girl. She can take it."

The burly pirate up ahead, sharing the bottles of rum with his mates, raised his flask in triumph. "I never thought we'd find a pretty young thing like her floating around on the Grand Line. She's been a really big help to us around the boat."

"Aye," the crew bellowed in agreement.

While the group of pirates snickered and proceeded to bask amongst their well-earned booty, the prisoner, having finished pushing the chest up the sand, rested against it and caught her breath. Ignoring the stares and cat calls she began to receive from the more rowdy members of the crew, the pink haired girl turned away from them and narrowed her eyes, showing her disgust of them and her true feelings on the situation.

Catching one of the bottles tossed to him, the grinning first mate then waved to the group of four standing away from the rest of the crates and digging through a big chest of treasure. "You lot. Since you're not doing anything important, go and check out the island. Let us know if there's anybody living here." When Lewis heard the four sailors groan, he waved his hand at them dismissively. "Belay that. Now get moving!" After the men began their dreaded march inland, the first mate turned back to the rest of their group and smirked. "I bet this will be the perfect place for us to set up base camp."

OOO

(Meanwhile)

Deciding to try a different routine for this morning, Gohan had spent most of that part of the day sparring and exercising on the other side of the island. Under the watch of his lemur and ocelot friends, the demi-Saiyan went through a vigorous training session with heavy weight bands on his arms, legs and back, with a strong emphasis on technique and resistance.

When the sun fully rose over the trees, the hybrid then quieted his mind practicing _**Taijiquan**_ and _**Wing Chun**_ movements, as well as the customary meditation session to finish it all up. After having a couple of coconuts to boost his electrolyte intake and some fruits to start his metabolism for the day, Gohan then took a quick bath in one of the many lakes scattered across the island, before then heading into the jungle to grab some firewood. It was while he was traversing his way back to his part of the landmass when, from the base of the mountain, he spotted a ship anchored by the shore.

Curious as to where the vessel had come from and who was manning it, as he could sense multiple life forms in that direction, he swiftly made his way down through the trees to see exactly who had decided to pay him a visit.

It came as a big surprise to the young Saiyan that, after inspecting their ship and noticing the flag they were flying, these sailors were in fact pirates.

Having not run into brigands for quite a while, Gohan kept his distance and watched the group from afar as they began unloading crates of goods onto the shore. After spotting who he assumed was the first mate marching his way down the gangplank, a feeling of disgust quickly filled the teen's chest when he saw the tall man dragging with him a young girl bound in chains. The sight had him clench his fists in anger, especially when he saw the man kick her around without remorse.

The teen's first and immediate instinct was to dart down there and take them all out. However, just as he was preparing to do so, he suddenly saw the first mate grab a pistol from one of his colleagues and press it against the back of the prisoner's head. This stopped Gohan dead in his tracks, as he knew all too well that he wasn't fast enough to take all of them out without putting the girl in harm's way. He needed a better plan.

While he was in the process of coming up with one, he suddenly saw a squad of about four pirates separate themselves from the main group and begin making their way inland, heading in the direction of his house. Tracking them into the woods for a few minutes, Gohan eventually came up with an idea to outsmart the pirates and hopefully rattle their nerves enough to make rescuing the girl easier.

He needed to get their attention… and Gohan knew just the way to do it.

So, pulling up his white cape and wrapping it around his head like a shawl, the teen then grabbed a branch from a nearby tree and followed the scouting party.

If you were going to do something evocative, why not have a little fun while you're at it?

(Sometime later)

"Bah. There's nothing on this island but trees, grass and dirt," a large man with curly black hair and a brown vest said as he cut his way through the undergrowth with his cutlass, followed closely by his three comrades.

"I don't see why Lewis sent us up here to scout this place," the shortest of the four with the flintlock and eye patch grunted, pushing his way past a low-hanging branch. "Clearly there's nothing out here." He then slapped his neck when he heard abuzz and felt something take a nip at him. He grunted in annoyance when he looked at his palm, "Except flies and mosquitoes."

"And lemurs," the dark-skinned pirate carrying the bayoneted rifle said, pointing up at a tree where he saw a couple of the furry animals staring down at them. An evil grin formed on his lips as he loaded his weapon. "A hundred beli says I can nail one of them right between the eyes." He then took aim, only for the man leading the troop to reach back and push the rifle down. "Whoa. What?"

Giving his comrade a serious glare, the curly haired squad leader placed a finger over his lips and pointed through the trees in the direction they were walking. "Check it out."

When the four men crept out of the jungle, they found themselves standing on the edge of a lush field of barley, with a shack made of branches, straw and bamboo leaves sitting on the other side. Having not expected to find a small farm in the middle of the jungle, the men cautiously made their way over to it, drawing their weapons and readying themselves for action. It was when they finally stopped in front of the house and were about to enter it that the squad was interrupted by a voice.

"Excuse me." Spinning around, the group of pirates spotted a diminutive man with a stick and a hooded shawl, limping his way towards them in a slouched over position. The sight of the seemingly old codger put the squad on immediate alert and had all four of them point their weapons at him. "Hello. P-Please put your weapons away. I mean you know harm," the stranger said in a raspy voice, his head lowered meekly while he shuffled his way towards the dangerous group of criminals.

"Stay back," the curly haired leader growled, keeping his cutlass trained on the stranger threateningly. "I'm warning you old man." His two buddies, both of whom were armed with a pistol and rifle respectively, cocked back the hammers and took aim.

"F-Forgive me, it's just… I've been alone for so long. It's been years since I've spoken to anyone," the mysterious hermit said, leaning on the large branch he was using as a cane. When he sensed three members of the group surround him, their weapons lowering ever so slightly, the stranger under the veil smiled in a seemingly pleasant manner. "You men are… the first I've seen for a long time."

The leader with the large sword frowned suspiciously. "You've been alone here? On this island?"

Chuckling to keep up his disguise, the 'old man' shook his head, "Not by choice, I assure you." He then shrugged. "My ship ran aground, I'm trapped… marooned. I've had to scrounge and scrape in order to survive." He then perked up slightly and pointed with a shaky hand towards his shack situated behind the curly haired leader. "I… I don't have much, but you can come inside and have something to eat. I've got plenty of food." The three men surrounding the hooded figure looked at one another in confusion.

Raising an eyebrow, the imposing leader of the squad lowered his sword and turned around to inspect the building a second time. The moment he looked away, he missed the sound of several dull thuds over his shoulder, a smirk slowly forming on his face. "Ha. Thanks, old man. But I think we'll just take everything you-" When he turned around a moment later, his smile dropped instantly when he saw his three crewmates lying unconscious on the ground and the old man standing directly in front of him… only… he wasn't an old man.

Having removed his hood, the stranger revealed himself to be an eighteen year old, fit looking young male with long black hair and a sickeningly satisfied smile on his face. The curly haired leader jumped in shock when he realized the teen was just two feet in front of him.

"What the-?!"

Before he could even finish his question, he saw a fist fill his vision before darkness claimed him…

OOO

(Several minutes later)

Back on the beach, the rest of the crew of the small brigantine ship were all sitting in a circle with their loot, watching in amusement as their female prisoner attempted to dig a hole in the sand with the heavy chains still on her. Seeing her moving the shovel back and forth at a heaving pace, the band of rowdy men continued to chat and laugh between one another, before several of them decided to try and mess with her a little. Given how nothing else interesting was happening around them, this was pretty much the best thing they had by way of entertainment.

"This long term deposit malarkey is definitely worth the extra effort of coming all the way out here," one of the pirates commented while taking a swig of his rum.

The burliest man of their group then snickered mischievously, "Do you think we should bury _her_ while we're out here? Leave her here for a few years and get her to appreciate in value?" He added to this by throwing a shell at the girl, missing when she moved at the last second.

"Mate. You know jack shit about human trafficking," another pirate exclaimed with a laugh, throwing an empty bottle at his friend and watching him swat it out of the way.

"You don't let a girl with an ass that fine age. You keep her around and have fun with her before any of that happens," another man shouted, ignoring the hateful glance he received from their pink haired slave, who continued toiling away at the sand.

"Yeah. Get her to do all the heavy lifting until her muscles and hands give out."

Checking out the girl's backside when she bent over, another crew member murmured appreciatively. "I can think of a few other things she can do with her… muscles." The tone he said these words with had the pink haired girl freeze up on the spot. The man who made that remark then elbowed his friend in the side. "You know what I'm saying, mate?"

The pirate who ended up getting nudged pushed his friend away by the face, "Yeah, yeah. Keep your hands to yourself, you perverted ass."

"Come on. Look at her. Don't tell me you don't want to have a piece of _that_ action," the guy continued while gesturing lewdly towards the chained up girl, who was now starting to shake on the spot. "We've been sailing for _weeks_ and plundering villages nonstop. Why can't we do that kind of stuff while we're on the move?"

Lewis, frowning deeply at the ideas starting to drop out of his subordinate's mouth, promptly put his food down on the matter, "Unless the captain says otherwise, none of you are allowed to touch her. If you do, you're going to have me and my good friend flintlock to answer to." The first mate added to this by patting the pistol he had shoved into his belt, causing the insubordinate crew-member to pale. "Now shut your traps and save your dicks for the next port."

The man throwing the sordid comments around the treasure circle grunted in resignation, before whispering under his breath. "Kill joy."

Despite the first mate's intervention, the female prisoner continued to tremble, her expression reflecting a clear sense of fear for her well being. Given her current position in the crew's pecking order by way of currency and gender, it made sense for her to feel this way. She was unable to hide, run or defend herself in any way. This made her completely and utterly at their mercy.

Though she was determined not to show these scumbags any sign of weakness, the seventeen year old girl couldn't help but clench her eyes shut and whisper under her breath. _"Please… someone… save me…"_ She then felt a couple of the men begin throwing shells and pebbles at her from behind, hitting her in the back while cackling hysterically.

Just as the crew was about to settle in for a long day of partying and drinking, a loud thud on the sand nearby drew all of their attention inland. Those who were in the middle of a drinking game immediately spat out the alcohol in their mouths and gaped at what they saw.

Standing beside a pile of four battered bodies that were their friends, they saw a young male with long, spiky black hair, wearing a purple gi and a white cape standing beside them with his arms folded across his chest. From the swollen bruises covering their faces, it looked like the four members of the scouting party had been beaten all to hell and the one responsible for their current states of unconsciousness just so happened to be standing right next to them.

As if on cue, all of the men in the vicinity leapt to their feet and pulled out their weapons, while the girl standing in the hole looked across at the boy in shock.

" _W-Who is that?"_ the pink haired prisoner thought.

"Yo," Gohan greeted the brigands in a seemingly calm and cheerful manner, before thumbing across at the unconscious squad, "Is this shit yours?"

"Wha-…How…" Lewis stammered as he then pulled out his sword and pistol, "Who the hell are you? Answer me, punk!"

The demi-Saiyan, seeing the number of guns and swords being directed at him, rubbed the back of his head and began to walk forward. "Who am I?" When the group of pirates spread out to surround him, with the ones wielding swords flanking him, the teen spoke, "I'm just an intrepid young traveler out exploring the wilderness." He pointed behind him. "I found these four lying unconscious in the jungle. When I saw your ship I figured they belonged to you guys and helped carry them back here."

Not believing him for one second, Lewis snarled. "We didn't even see you approach us!"

"Well, you and your boys were so busy tormenting the young lady there that you probably didn't notice me," Gohan responded, nodding towards the girl hiding in the hole. When he saw her staring at her, he threw her a charming smile and a wink, before turning his attention back to the pirates. "Seriously… putting her in chains and making her dig a hole for you? That's an unusual way to treat a pretty girl." He then scratched his head. "Personally I'd take her out to lunch."

The boy's cocky attitude put a smirk on Lewis's face, "I bet you think you're pretty smart, huh? Well I don't buy your bullshit story for a second." He then jabbed his sword towards the teen now standing directly in the middle of their formation. "We Don Krieg Pirates under Captain Havoc don't go easy on anyone… especially hot shot little shits like you!"

Though the pink haired girl in the sand pit felt nothing but concern and dread for the young man's life, the spiky haired stranger simply raised his hands and laughed lightheartedly. "Now, now, fellas. There's no need for violence. I'm sure that if we just put our swords and guns away, the…" He then paused to take a quick count with his finger, "the fifteen of us will be able to sit down, talk this out, and settle this in a calm and civilized-"

"Cut the crap!" One of the large, bulky pirates wielding two cutlasses on the far right barked before charging forward. "This punk is mine!" With a roar, the man brought his swords up and swung down at the teenager as soon as he was in range.

Seeing the brigand running at him in slow motion, the still calmly smiling Gohan pretended to notice something at his feet and bent over. "Oh, look. A clam shell." He then bent over quickly, not only avoiding the swing of the attacker's blades, but head butting him in the gut hard enough to knock him off his feet and send him bouncing across the beach, where he then crashed in an unconscious heap several yards away. By the time Gohan straightened back up, all of the pirates in the area were gaping at him, to which he responded with a confused blink. "Huh? What happened?"

"Get him!" Another pirate bellowed, before all the men with swords and daggers rushed forward, coming at him from all sides.

Amidst the cries of enraged pirates now threatening to skewer him like roast lamb, Gohan spotted the chests of open treasure resting by the first mate and slowly approached them. "Wow. Is that gold? Mind if I take a quick look?" Stopping next to a jewel encrusted staff lying near the ring of treasure, the demi-Saiyan bent over and picked it up, barely avoiding a swing from a knife-wielding pirate running at him from his left. At the same time, the calm young warrior stuck his leg out and "accidentally" punted another pirate in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and kicking the brigand into one of his friends at roughly thirty kilometers an hour. "Geez. Look at this thing. What is it, like, eighty carats?"

With two more pirates taken out, Gohan stood up holding the scepter in front of him. Still appearing completely ignorant of his actions, the Saiyan then turned around and blindly smacked the pirate who ran passed him across the back of the head with the end of the stick, knocking him out cold with a hilarious 'thunk'. Gohan's turn allowed him to clothes-line a fifth pirate and send him crashing into a sixth, toppling both to the floor and leaving them in a crumpled heap in the sand.

"Huh?" Gohan blinked in confusion, just now noticing the unconscious bodies littering the beach as he spun in the opposite direction, sticking his elbow out and 'unintentionally' smashing a seventh sword-wielding pirate in the face. "W-What's going on here?" Gohan asked with a deadpanned expression. He then held the staff in two hands and stepped backwards, driving the dull end into the crotch of an eighth attacker. When the brigand doubled over with a cry of pain, the half-Saiyan turned around and hit him across the head with the other end of the staff.

Feigning a state of complete shock with the worst acting imaginable, Gohan backed away while nervously clutching the staff. "Oh God. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Oh my God." He then just stuck his right arm out and, with a quick step to the side, watched as the crew's burliest pirate ran face-first into his fist and knocked himself out, dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. After dispersing of all nine sword users, Gohan turned around and gave an unnervingly blank stare at the remaining pirates.

The pink haired girl in chains was speechless, unable to believe that she'd just watched a boy around her age take out a dozen armed men with barely any effort whatsoever. As for Lewis and his four remaining lackeys, all of them were standing on the edge of the scene, slack-jawed and eyes as wide as saucers.

Seriously… what the fuck just happened?

When they saw Gohan lower his arm and step towards them, the first mate panicked and screamed, loading his pistol at the same time, "DON'T JUST STAND THERE, YOU IDIOTS! FIRE! KILL HIM!"

The four men standing on either side of Lewis took aim and, alongside their terrified leader, unloaded their guns on the teen, with the pink haired girl sitting in the hole giving a loud cry of fright. She thought she was about to watch the young man in front of her get cut down by a hail of bullets.

However, the pirates and the prisoner were about to get their second biggest shock for the day.

Taking one end of the golden staff he was still holding with one hand, Gohan began spinning it in the air in front of him in a clockwise direction. Swinging it so fast that the stick literally transformed into a golden propeller, the Saiyan watched the projectiles flying towards him in bullet time, before catching every single one of the airborne rounds along the edge of his staff without damaging a single one of them. As soon as the pirates' guns clicked to empty, Gohan stopped twirling the staff and deposited all of their ammunition on the sand, in a straight line, directly at his side.

Lewis and his men recoiled in horror.

"N-No way!" one of the pirates shouted.

"He caught them?!"

Swinging his staff back like a golf club, Gohan squinted as he took aim at the pirates and slapped the bullets lying on the ground back at them with a single stroke. He hit them hard enough that they returned to their owners faster than they could track, but not fast enough to kill them, and ended up nailing all four pirates in the foreheads simultaneously.

When his four allies crumpled to the floor around him, this left Lewis all by his lonesome. Shaking in his boots, the auburn haired bully gawked across at the raven haired warrior standing in the middle of the sand, tossing the jewel-encrusted staff up and down like a baton.

"Huh. I think I've perfected the art of catching and returning bullets… somehow," Gohan chuckled humorously, before craning his head at the coat-wearing first mate. "So, do you want to talk now or… would you like to continue?" The moment he asked that question, he saw the first mate toss his gun, raise his sword and, with a very unmanly scream, charge right at him, getting the Saiyan to shake his head. "Have it your way." He then lifted his free hand and, waiting for his opponent to get within range, flicked him in the forehead.

The blow struck the man's skull with a loud slap and sent Lewis flying back the way he came, crashing into one of the food crates lying on the sand and leaving him unconscious with a stupid grin on his face and swirly eyes.

Dropping the staff he was carrying, Gohan took a moment to inspect his handiwork. After which he looked across at the girl still hiding in the sand pit and, after taking note of the look of awe and amazement reflected on her face, smiled warmly. "Now… I'm not sure if I misheard this, but did someone mention something about a Captain?"

"Hey! What the hell's going on out there?"

Speak of the devil.

Looking up at the ship, both Gohan and the pink haired girl watched as an immense man with a hulking frame, dark skin, big arms, hairy chest and slicked back blonde hair, wearing a red vest, green combat pants, and two iron gloves on either arm, stomped into view. Causing his ship to list slightly beneath his immense weight, the giant figure marched down the gangplank towards the beach under the fearful gaze of his crew's prisoner and the inquisitive smile from the vigilante demi-Saiyan.

"Lewis? Toro? Barky? Report!" the man barked, before slowly coming to the realization that all of his men were down and lying unconscious on the sand. After stopping at the base of the ramp, the muscular captain quickly turned his ire to the person he assumed was responsible for this mess. "You?! Did you take out my entire crew?"

"Yep," Gohan answered cheekily. Giving the man a wave, he then glanced around the area. "Well… maybe not _all_ of your crew. Less than half of them, at least" He then pointed at the burly chap lying to his right. "That guy pretty much knocked himself out… and the other fella next to him just fell over. It was weird." His pointing out of the bodies had the girl hiding in the trench giggle, despite her precarious position.

"Oh. A funny guy, huh?" the captain asked, before a murderous smirk crossed his lips. "I hate funny guys. Do you have any idea who I am?"

Gohan tilted his head, "No. Should I?"

The large pirate grunted, "I am Captain 'Shocktank' Havoc; rear guard of the great Don Krieg armada and captain of the _Cordial Mary_ , with a bounty of one million beli on his head. My crew and I were among the best units under the great commander's banner, spearheading dozens of missions and assaults on multiple islands in his name. We were all set to take over the entire East Blue, until that pigheaded fool decided to cross the Grand Line and screw around with the Shichibukai Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk. Almost all fifty ships in his entire fleet were wiped out in a single stroke." The man lifted his left fist and grinned broadly, at the same time his shadow loomed over the bored looking Gohan. "Luckily my men and I decided to turn back early and restart our luck from scratch, and oh has it been profitable. Now we're among the strongest and most notorious pirates in this part of the ocean, and nothing, not even a pathetic, spiky haired, insignificant-"

Unfortunately the proud captain was cut off from his self-indulgent monologue by Gohan raising a hand and stopping him in his tracks. "Yeah, I hate to cut you off in the middle of your little, exponential rant, but I think I'd rather just skip the introductions and get this over with." He then slipped his hands into his pockets and smiled. "I'll make this simple for you. I'm just going to stand here and let you hit me with everything you've got with your best attack. After that, I'll let you take a nice, quiet nap and tie you up with the rest of your crew. Deal?"

Was that too harsh? Nah, it was fine. Normally if his opponent was strong enough and respectable enough to matter, Gohan would've gladly stood there and waited for the guy to finish bleating; partly out of honor and partly out of a need to catch his breath. But this man was neither strong nor respectable. From what he saw, this Havoc guy and his boys were nothing more than bullies; men who used their size and numbers to gang up on others and belittle them, even going so far as to completely rob them of their respect, identity and humanity. As far as he was concerned, he could be as blunt with them as he wanted.

Tick mark forming at Gohan's flippant remark, Havoc quickly brought both his hands up and clenched them into fists. "You've got a lot of nerve, boy. Alright. Fine! If that's how you want to play!" With a mighty roar and a hiss from the built-in pistons on his gauntlets, the large man suddenly sprang from the foot of the ramp and dove at the teenager over a distance of thirty feet. As soon as his immense form crashed down in front of his spiky haired target, Havoc cocked back his right arm and swung at him with the sound of a roaring jet, _**"IRON CRUSHING FIST!"**_

Without even batting an eye, Gohan simply stood there and watched the giant man's knuckles approaching him in slow motion. In the milliseconds that past, he had time to think about a number of things. He thought about moving at the last second and giving the guy something a little harder to hit, while at the same time make things a little more interesting. However, after deeply considering one of his previous battles, in which he spent a lot of the time toying around with an opponent and ended up costing him the life of two people who were closest to him, he thought better against it and decided to just let this ordeal run its course.

He wasn't going to make the same mistakes he did against Cell. He was going to let the guy have his shot and then finish it. No mind games and no maliciousness. Not today.

When Havoc's fist finally impacted against his face, a deafening thunderclap rang out and a shockwave ripped across the beach, punching a crater into the floor and kicking up a cloud of dust behind the Saiyan. The pink haired girl in the pit gasped in horror, thinking the young man's brains had been scrambled and his skull had been smashed open.

A grin mired Captain Havoc's face, as he too thought he'd killed his opponent. But when the dust settled, the man's jaw dropped in shock when he saw Gohan, still standing in the same spot, with a smile on his face and his hands at his sides.

Despite causing such an enormous tremor across the beach, aside from nudging him back a couple of inches, the punch didn't affect Gohan one bit. All he did was push him back slightly and nudge his head to the side. To the Captain, it was almost like he'd just hit a brick wall.

Gohan cracked a smile while Havoc looked at him in bewilderment, "Not bad. But now it's my turn." Lifting his left fist up, he then threw a half-assed jab into the man's face.

What at first appeared to be a mere tap, turned out to be a punch three times more powerful than what the captain had launched against the Saiyan. A blast of wind rocked the ship behind the captain and caused a wave to ripple across the shallow water. When the blast settled, Havoc remained standing there for several seconds, his eyes crossed and his body shaking from head to toe, almost like the guy was experiencing a seizure or something.

Seconds later, the large captain keeled over and crashed into the ground, back-first.

Just like that, it was over.

Blinking in amazement, the pink haired spectator gazed up at the boy standing over the defeated band of pirates. With his hair and cape blowing on the wind and the dust from the battle settling around him, to her, this dashing young male looked just like a knight… a warrior… a heroic figure from her wildest dreams.

" _So strong,"_ she thought, able to see the aura wafting off of his shoulders.

"Huh. Maybe I hit him a little too hard? Oh well." Nudging the man's foot with his own, Gohan then turned his attention to the reason for his current activity for this morning. Seeing the girl gaping at him in astonishment, the young Saiyan smiled and walked over to her, to which he then crouched down and offered her a hand. "Are you alright?"

At first not knowing whether to take it or not, seeing as how her head was still spinning from his amazing performance, the pink haired female quickly made up her mind and took it. "I-I'm fine." She was hoisted out of the hole and set to stand in front of her savior, whom she noticed was over a full head taller than her. "Thank you so much."

"Ah, don't mention it. It was the least I could do." When he saw the young girl attempt to wrap her arms around herself but struggled to due to the chains, Gohan quickly decided to do something about them and brought her hands up for a closer inspection. "Here. Let me get those for you."

The prisoner then watched in utter confusion as the boy slipped a finger under each of the shackles on her wrists and, with a sharp tug, snapped both of them as if they were made of crate paper. He did the same thing to the one around her neck where after ridding her of the chains that were binding her, chucked them clean across the ocean, never to be seen again.

"There. That's much better," Gohan chirped, observing as the girl massaged her arms and neck, unable to believe that this was real. "Honestly, you look a lot better without those heavy things hanging from your limbs. I can't imagine the kind of hell you had to go through." When he saw her look up at him with her sparkling brown eyes, the young man nodded, "It may take a few days for the bruises to go away, but with some rest and some ointment, I might be able to-whoa." The Saiyan stopped short when the girl leapt at him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, a sensation he most certainly was not expecting. It actually had him chuckle, as for a moment he had no idea how to respond. "Oh. A hug. Heh. Haven't had one of these in a while."

Relief washing through her as she rubbed her face into the young man's top, the pink haired teen, with tears running down her cheeks, smiled and allowed a light cough to leave her lips, as she expressed her gratitude to the stranger in the fullest. "You saved me… thank you…"

Returning the hug with one of his own, Gohan rubbed her back comfortingly while she sobbed into his clothing. Still exuding kindness and warmth as he ever did, the young Saiyan remained there with the girl in his arms for a few minutes, listening to her whisper and breathe deeply, before feeling her pull away on her own accord. By this time his top was wet and the girl's eyes were red from crying. "Better?"

Nodding, the beautiful young female beamed brightly at him. "I can't even begin to imagine how I can possibly repay you for the kindness you've shown me. I…" She swallowed nervously as her cheeks seemed to glow, "I owe you my life."

A grin quickly broke out on Gohan's face, "Well… you could start by telling me your name?"

Straightening up, not even caring that her arms were still wrapped around him and his around her, the girl responded, "Rebecca… my name is Rebecca."

"Gohan… Son Gohan," the spiky haired hero replied with a nod, "Nice to meet you."

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: Second chapter and Gohan's tale in the world of One Piece begins. We get a glimpse as to what he's been through over the last seven years, doing some soul searching an a deserted island, while at the same time living harmoniously with the animals.

He also meets his first band of pirates; members of the Don Krieg fleet. You can probably guess where this story starts.

AND he meets a rather unlikely character. Wonder how she ended up here? (P.S I'm aware in the manga she's supposedly much younger than she looks, but I've adjusted that point for the sake of this story).


	3. Setting Sail

**A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _Setting Sail_

(About an hour later)

After rounding up the unconscious members of the _Cordial Mary_ and transporting their bodies to the supply hold of their ship, Gohan quickly found some rope and tied the lot of them together. He also made sure to grab some extra-strong chains for their leader, who he knew would not be waking up anytime soon thanks to the multiple concussions he'd sustained. So once he was certain the entire crew was secured the young adult then went outside to check out their loot, where he found Rebecca waiting patiently for him on the sand.

"This is quite an impressive haul they've got here," Gohan commented as he finished pushing all of the treasure into one pile and looking it over. Tilting his head as he counted all of the gold and jewels he could see, the teen then shrugged in a thoughtful manner. "If I had to guess, I'd say all of this adds up to a total of at least a hundred and fifty million zeni."

Rebecca, listening to her rescuer intently from where she was standing, quickly gave him a puzzled look, "Zeni?"

"Yeah… that's the currency that we use where I come from," Gohan answered while glancing across at her.

The pink haired girl blinked, "I've never heard of such a monetary unit. All of the countries that I know of use Beli as their designated form of currency. Everything from food to entire countries can be purchased with it."

"I see," Gohan murmured, reaching down and grabbing a stack of bills sitting on top of one of the chests. Flicking through the notes and analyzing them carefully, the teen then nodded in approval, "Well, at least I know now what kind of money the people of this world use. Thanks."

Beaming cheerfully at being able to help, the pink haired girl then stepped closer to her savior as he continued to inspect the treasure. "If I may ask, Gohan-san… where exactly do you come from? Somewhere from the East Blue?"

Slipping the wad of cash into his obi, the martial artist chuckled before turning to the girl with a slightly nervous glimmer in his eye, "You might find this hard to believe, but… I don't actually come from around here. I'm… actually from a different world."

"A different world?"

"Yeah," Gohan replied while having a look around, "Even though this place has the same environment, the same sky and the same air as the Earth I knew, everything else is completely different. It's actually kind of freaky." That's what he felt anyway.

Breaking down his words carefully, the curious Rebecca continued on with her questioning. "How exactly did you end up here?"

The Saiyan scratched his head in confusion, "Honestly, I'm not quite sure. It's kind of hard to explain." He then gestured to the island they were currently standing on, which Rebecca proceeded to study. "All I remember is seeing a blinding flash of light and falling from the clouds. When I woke up, I found myself here. Since I didn't know where I was and couldn't find a way back home, I decided to just stay here. It's pretty much been my home for the last seven years."

After hearing his story, Rebecca nodded in understanding before giving the young man a sad smile. "So you've been alone all this time?"

Her question had Gohan shrug, "More or less. You're actually the first person I've run into since I got here… not counting those creeps tied up on the boat." He then threw a distasteful look towards the vessel parked alongside his beach. "I can't believe there are people out there who can just chain up an innocent girl and force her to work for them like a slave."

Rebecca also gave the ship a disgusted glare, "Yeah. Those men were all vile people. I don't think I can even call them human."

This quickly led Gohan into his next inquiry, which made sense given the situation. "And what's your story, Rebecca? Where do you come from?" He tilted his head when he saw her glance at him.

Reaching up to rub her arm, the girl momentarily averted her gaze in a clear sign of woe and discomfort. After deeply considering whether or not she should tell Gohan her past, the former prisoner of the vessel quickly came to a decision and looked back at the teen anxiously. "My home, the Kingdom of Dressrosa, is an island located on the other side of the world along a stretch of ocean people refer to as the Grand Line. It is one of the twenty kingdoms that were responsible for the founding of the World Government and is a nation that is well known for its flower fields, food and vibrant cultures."

"Sounds like a place I'd like to visit." Taking note of the girl's saddened expression and nervousness, Gohan tilted his head and graced her with a gentle look. "What happened over there?"

Continuing to appear distressed, the young woman inhaled sharply, "When I was little, the country was taken over by a notorious pirate by the name of Donquixote Doflamingo, who is currently serving as a privateer for the World Government. When he seized control of the island from the king, my grandfather… he sent his men to attack my family and my home… and killed my mother."

Though he was surprised to hear that Rebecca's grandfather was the king, which told him that she was in fact a princess, the rest of the news she said put an immediate frown on Gohan's face, "That's horrible."

Nodding, the girl inhaled and exhaled unsteadily, as it was clear recounting this story was taking a toll on her. "I can never forget that night… the town and castle burning... the men chasing us through the fields… and my friend Soldier-san returning with my mother in his arms." Shivering at the memories as tears trickled down her cheeks, Rebecca then wrapped her arms around her body tightly and looked up, facing her rescuer with as much bravery as she could summon. "Doflamingo manipulated everything from start to finish… and disgraced the name of my entire family. To escape the chaos and the danger, Soldier-san took me as far away from the kingdom as he could and raised me. He worked hard to make sure I grew up strong and healthy… and trained me so that I could protect myself whenever I was alone… so that I wouldn't get hurt."

Taking in her story bit by bit, the long-haired Gohan then gestured across to the boat sitting on the shore next to them. "If that's the case, how did you end up with a group like them?" He tilted his head when he saw the girl blink away her tears. "Since you had someone like Soldier-san protecting you, I can only assume it wasn't by choice."

Rebecca shook her head. "While we were living peacefully on the edge of Dressrosa… a group of hunters sent by Doflamingo found out about Soldier-san and came after us. He told me to leave the island and to head straight for the paradise part of the Grand Line, saying that I would be safe there. He told me that he would find me later and that I should wait for him. I managed to escape by bartering passage on a merchant vessel to take me past the Red Line and was on my way towards the East, but the vessel I was traveling on got caught in a storm and I wound up adrift at sea." She then nodded towards the boat. "Those men found me while I was unconscious and took me as their prisoner. That's how I ended up here."

"I see," Gohan whispered, folding his arms and watching Rebecca rub her eyes on the back of her arm. "I can tell that you've had it pretty rough over the last several years. You've definitely come a long way to make it this far." He turned his gaze towards the ocean and breathed a heavy sigh. "Though I don't know anything about this world or its people, after the things you've just told me, I can see there are definitely a lot of nasty things out there. I might just have my work cut out for me." That last bit he chose to say under his breath.

A part of him… the human side anyway, was disgusted by the atrocities Rebecca had told him about, that there were men like this Doflamingo who could take control of an entire nation without fear, remorse or consequence. Not to mention a ruling Government of authority who would allow such an event to take place. Granted he knew that countries always experienced their ups and downs, what with regime changes, military problems and what not, whenever he heard tales like this taking place over the horizon, it always made him feel helpless and miserable because he was too far away or powerless to help.

It was an ethical question he often asked himself at the end of every day. Since he had all of this great power at his disposal, why couldn't he do anything to put it to good use? To help people who are in need? Originally it was because of his mother's intervention. No matter where he was or what he did, she'd always been there, standing over him and breathing down his neck like a shadow, telling him what to do and what not to do. All of these domestic responsibilities and hours spent focused on his education prevented him from going out into the world and doing something worthwhile… something good. That was back on his home planet.

But now, with no more obstacles standing in his way and a just cause standing right in front of him, Gohan was determined to do something about it.

As Rebecca stared down at the sand, Gohan walked over till he was looking down at her. When he saw her eyes meet his, he smiled. "I can help." Seeing her surprise prompted him to elaborate on his offer further. "After everything you've just said, there's no way I'm going to sit back and let some creep pirate rule over your homeland and take advantage of your people." He then lifted his hand and pressed his fist against his chest. "I'll help you find your friend and take you back to Dressrosa. Since I'm still new to this place, I'd really like to check out some of the other countries around the world." He then shrugged and gave Rebecca his trademark Son family grin. "Who knows? Maybe I can help fix a few other things along the way?"

"Y-You'd do that? Really?" Rebecca asked, with amazement and awe reflected in her expression. When she saw the young Saiyan nod, the girl then took a moment to think about an important study lingering over her mind. After considering her previous circumstances, her current state, as well as what inevitably awaited her back on Dressrosa, the young woman then steeled her resolve and looked back up at her savior with guts and purpose. To which she then bowed, "Gohan-san… please… I would like for you to train me."

"Huh?" Gohan recoiled slightly, not expecting the girl to make such a request right off the bat. "You want me to-?"

"Yes," Rebecca answered, glancing up to show the determination burning in her eyes. "I know I owe you my life for freeing me from those pirates; a debt I don't think I'll ever be able to repay. But I saw how easily you defeated those men and I could sense how powerful you are. If it's possible, I humbly ask you to teach me how to fight like you and make me stronger… so that I can defeat Doflamingo and avenge my family."

The conviction and fortitude Rebecca spoke with moved Gohan in a way that made him feel like he was being enveloped in a warm glow. Almost instantly he sensed something special about this girl, not by her energy signature or her power, but by her spirit. This expression of iron will in her words and her face brought a smile to the Saiyan's lips and, after a few seconds of deliberation, he quickly came to a verdict. "Sure. I can definitely do that." When he saw her face light up, the boy then raised a finger. "But I warn you… my training is tough… and I won't exactly be going easy on you, even when you're tired. It'll be some of the hardest physical work you'll ever do in your entire life and when push comes to shove, you bet you'll be hurting more than you ever have before. Do you think you'll be able to live through that?"

Hearing his warning had Rebecca pause for a moment, before her resolve countered with full force. "I've lived most of my life on a knife's edge. I'll be damned if I let fear and exhaustion drag me down. I will train till it hurts… and keep on going." That was her answer.

Smiling in approval, Gohan accepted her words and sealed the deal. "Very well. From now on, I will be your teacher and you will be my pupil. How's that sound?"

Overjoyed at his declaration that her face practically lit up, Rebecca nodded her head vigorously before throwing herself at the young male in yet another hug. Once again caught by surprise but not as much as the first time, Gohan returned it without hesitation, patting the girl on the back as she whispered 'thank you' into his chest.

The moment of their adorable embrace was broken moments later by the sound of a low rumbling, which caused Rebecca to pull away and blush.

A quick survey of her expression filled Gohan with amusement, "Want something to eat?" When he saw the defiant look appear on Rebecca's face, as she clearly did not want to admit it, the Saiyan chuckled. "Come on. Let's have lunch. While we're at it, I'd like to ask you a little bit more about this planet and its people." A single nod and a kindly smile from the girl was all the response he needed.

OOO

Over the next couple of hours, while they were enjoying a nice spot of lunch outside of the Saiyan's makeshift home, Gohan received a quick run down from Rebecca on some of the interesting aspects about the world that he wasn't able to find out for himself. Even though she originated from a remote island along a stretch of ocean that was considered hazardous for even the most experienced sailors, she was still incredibly well informed. He attributed this as part of her upbringing and the fact that she'd lived here her entire life, whereas he'd only been on this plain of reality for a total of seven years and had voluntarily marooned himself on this one island. Still, it was definitely a great way to get a conversation started.

Of the various things Rebecca was able to tell him, one of them was the fact that this planet was enormous, with a great percentage of its surface left vastly unexplored. However, for all the parts that had been mapped out, most of the countries and islands in existence were presently under the control and protection of the World Government. Not only did they oversee all routes of trade and transport across the planet, they also supplied the people with a vast military force in the form of a powerful navy. Though this initially came as a sign of good news to the newcomer Gohan, knowing that this place was well-defended and organized, he later learned from Rebecca that there were a lot of problems currently associated with this organization; ranging from violence, to corruption and piracy.

Hell, even with Doflamingo's takeover of her home island, the marines that were supposedly tasked with serving and protecting their sovereign states, had completely turned a blind eye to their plight and allowed the man to have total dominion over the entire population. This told Gohan that there was more going on in this system than meets the eye and, given the current state of the world, he couldn't just jump in without first considering his actions.

From what he could tell, a majority of the countries under the naval banner were rather satisfied with the status quo, and that any intervention on his behalf could potentially lead to dire consequences. That being said, the last thing Gohan wanted to do was piss off an entire, international military force through some misplaced sense of intended goodwill when no such thing was required in the first place.

He needed more information.

This then led Gohan to his second biggest problem, which was actually traversing the planet itself. Originally the demi-Saiyan believed he could fly from island to island or teleport to wherever he wanted. Not that he had any plans of doing so, but he very much would've liked to have that as a viable option. However, after listening to what Rebecca had to say on this world's unpredictable climates, atmosphere and geography, he quickly found out that jumping from landmass to landmass wasn't going to be so simple.

The first issue was the way his _Instant Transmission_ worked. The only way he could teleport to certain locations was that if they were marked by a strong presence, more accurately strong ki signatures. On the surface this seemed like a straightforward process. But that was where his problems really began.

Since he'd had to reverse engineer the technique from scratch and never got around to asking his dad about the key aspects of the move, the only energy signature Gohan had any practice of teleporting to, was his own. He learned this by splitting himself using the _Multi-Form Technique_ and then teleporting to his aforementioned clone. He also learned how to create ki markers in the form of solid objects or energy balls imbued with his energy, which he could teleport to from a distance. Now while all this was useful and all, he still hadn't completely mastered the ability to teleport to other signatures.

The second issue was actually to do with the world itself. Though Gohan could sense life on this planet easily enough, there was just so much energy and radiation perforating the atmosphere that it made it extremely difficult for him to pinpoint exact locations. Something about the world's constantly shifting and fluctuating magnetosphere was throwing off his senses. He also learned from Rebecca that the planet also experienced sudden and intense weather patterns, which was something Gohan remembered his father having trouble working his way around.

Every time there was a powerful presence or disturbance in the air, it always disrupted Goku's ability to concentrate and teleport, which was something Gohan experienced firsthand when Rebecca pointed her in the direction of her home island and he tried to locate it, to no avail.

Now while he was sure he could survive most things out there or fly from place to place, he was positive Rebecca could not. And the last thing Gohan wanted to do was mistake an atmospheric anomaly for a person and end up teleporting inside a hurricane or a volcano, and put his newfound friend's life at risk. It happened once before when he was practicing on the island and he wound up zapping into the mountain itself.

That day did not end well for him.

With the chaotic weather, shifting landmasses, troubled authorities and different cultures presiding over this planet, Gohan knew he was going to be in for one hell of an experience. After being cooped up on an island for so long and being driven stir crazy by boredom, if he was going to go for a round trip of the world, then he was going to make it a memorable one.

"In order to get you back to Dressrosa safe and sound, we'll need a map, a compass, a year's worth of supplies, a bunch of people who know their way around, information, and a ship," Gohan said, lowering his spoon and bowl, and watching Rebecca as she finished her food. He then shrugged in a suggestive manner, "And since your pirate friends aren't going to need theirs anymore after we drop them off at the next port, I guess they wouldn't mind it if we, say… borrow _their_ ship for a little while?"

"That sounds like a good plan." Rebecca tilted her head and set her spoon down in her soup, "Have you ever sailed a ship before?"

Thinking on it for a moment, Gohan shrugged, "I made a raft once and used it to escape an island I was trapped on. That counts as sailing, right?" Of course he sank it when he ran the thing into a damn storm, but she didn't need to know about that. Not right now anyway. "I'm an old hand in this. Steering a ship across the ocean shouldn't be a problem at all."

This seemed to put Rebecca's mind at ease a little, as she quickly spared her host a warm and positive smile. Since she was still reeling from the shock of his victory over her captors earlier that morning, she didn't have any room in her heart to be expressing fears or concerns on the matter. She was just so happy.

Eventually when lunch was over, the demi-Saiyan took the empty dishes, washed them, and put them away. What followed after that was a quick half-an-hour sweep of the property, where he grabbed everything he deemed of value, including the clothes on his back and the food and water he had stored up, and carried them all down to the beach. Once there, Gohan set the supplies next to the enormous pile of treasure just sitting out in the open, and took count of all the barrels.

It was then both he and Rebecca turned their attention to the chests of gold and money sitting just a few feet away, where the two of them began considering the million beli question hanging over their heads.

"What should we do about all this treasure?" Rebecca asked curiously.

Coming from a family renowned for having the most accurate moral compass on his home planet, Gohan scratched his head and shrugged, "Well, all of it is technically stolen property. Perhaps after we drop the pirates off at the bounty station, we can find a marine base and return it to the proper authorities?" He saw that Rebecca had a similar idea too. Several seconds later however, the boy looked up with a start. "Ah. Crap. No, we can't."

The girl balked a little, "Why not?"

"Think about it. We rock up in some random port town on a _stolen_ pirate ship, carrying a ton of _stolen_ money, with no documents or papers claiming we own the ship or anything on it whatsoever, things are going to look suspicious. If we try to hand this stuff over to the marines without any proof or identification, red lights are going to go off, and the next thing you know both of us are going to be in handcuffs and playing mummies and daddies with Gus 'The Strangler' in a downtown prison cell for the next three months, until they figure out what to do with us," Gohan explained with an exaggerated wave of his hand.

Not that he had anything to worry about, since the Z-fighter could pretty much break out of any prison he wanted. It was all a matter of perspective.

Rebecca, deeply considering his explanation, nodded in understanding before a look of annoyance spread across her face. "I see. Even if we try to explain to them how this loot came into our possession, the men in charge might still think we're the ones that stole it and blame us for the respective thefts."

No one just handed over that much cash unless they had ulterior motives. That, and Rebecca herself had some serious trust issues with the current generation of marines.

"Exactly," Gohan responded, groaning as he slowly ran a hand down his face. "Not to mention if we just drop millions of beli into their laps, who's to say they wouldn't just take the money for themselves and pocket all of it?" Apparently the young Saiyan had his misgivings about the entire situation as well.

Corruption and greed ran rampant in whatever civilization you visited, and Gohan remembered reading too many crime novels and biographies as part of his literary studies to know how these scenarios played out.

"So what are we going to do with all of this?" Rebecca wondered out loud, wrapping her hands around her slender waist and staring down at the treasure with an uncomfortable gaze.

Rubbing his chin, Gohan then tilted his head, "I guess if there are no other options, we can just take it for ourselves?" He then smiled down at the girl when she looked up at him. "If we're going to be traveling around the world, it can't hurt to have a little spending money with us, right? Plus we're taking this from a group of pricks who've been treating you like a slave for the past couple of months. Consider this payback for all the pain you've had to put up with."

Rebecca's smile widened and she nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah."

With that decided and not an ounce of guilt to be shared between either of them, Gohan quickly swooped down and grabbed up several huge wads of cash for him and Rebecca. After which he then had both of them shuffle back to a safe distance, grabbed his wrist, and took aim at the pile of treasure with his finger.

A few drops of sweat broke out on his forehead when he began focusing his energy, a sight that had Rebecca gaze at him in concern while she held onto the money in her arms.

"W-What are you doing, Gohan-san?"

"I just need to concentrate," the warrior replied with a slightly strained voice. Moments later, the young man gave a sharp grunt and fired a blue, static beam from his finger, which hit the treasure and enveloped it in a brilliant, electrical glow. A puff of smoke then swallowed up the chests of gold and money, and was quickly replaced by a tiny white capsule, with the number '01' on its side, dropping to the sand. Taking a deep breath, Gohan walked over and picked it up, "Woo. It worked. Excellent." When he turned back to Rebecca, he saw a look of pure astonishment on her face. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"You have the power of an Akuma no Mi (Devil Fruit)?" Rebecca asked.

Gohan, confusion filling him, cocked his head to the left. "What's an Akuma no Mi?"

"It's a rare, mythical fruit that imbues whoever eats one with incredible powers and abilities," the girl informed, watching the boy look down at his hand as if to expect to see something off about it. "People have searched for years trying to get their hands on one and many have failed. But those who've actually acquired a devil fruit and eaten one, have become some of the most renowned and extraordinary people across the four great seas."

When he realized she was talking about something originating solely from her world, the young Saiyan then gave her a charming smile, "Well, I don't know what these devil fruits are, but they sure sound delicious." A look of pure astonishment blinked into Rebecca's face as Gohan grinned back at her. "The powers that I have today didn't come from a mythical fruit or an external source. I was born with them." He then patted his chest proudly. "Yep. This man here is all homegrown and organic."

Hearing him say that had Rebecca giggle, "I see."

This then drew a sincere response from the Saiyan, "Anyone can become strong if they train hard enough. By the time we get you back to Dressrosa, I'm positive you'll be more than ready to take out Doflamingo."

Becoming gradually more excited by the second, the star struck Rebecca quickly turned her attention to the thing in the Saiyan's hand. "So what's that?"

Flicking the capsule up and catching it, Gohan then slipped it into his obi and patted it into place. "Back on my home planet, almost all of the people across the globe used these capsules as a form of storage and transportation of valuable goods and equipment. Since I can use my materialization technique to create anything from clothing to appliances, it's not that difficult for me to replicate a piece of technology I've seen used thousands of times before."

Doing the same thing to the barrels of food and water and storing them inside a portable container, the Saiyan and the princess then headed towards the ramp that would take them onto the ship. Before they could set foot on the lower half however, Gohan stopped when he sensed two presences behind him and quickly turned around. The teenagers soon spotted the two ocelots Shay and Luka standing on the sand nearby, looking up at them with their adorable kitty-cat eyes.

Hearing them meow had Gohan chuckle and, kneeling down on the sand, patted them on the heads.

"Now don't give me that look, you two. You know I hate it when you do that… it means you want something," Gohan remarked. Listening to them purr and return his gestures of affection by rubbing their heads and backs into his palms, the Saiyan then dropped his hands and beamed. "Listen, I'm going to be heading off now. But before I do, I just want you two to know that I'm grateful to you for keeping me company these last seven years. You, the lemurs, and this island have been good to me. It's time I went out there and returned the favor."

When Shay looked around the Saiyan and towards the girl standing close behind him, the ocelot then gave a loud meow, which had Gohan blush brightly and place a hand over her muzzle.

"Hey. Don't say stuff like that. She'll hear you." Nervously glancing back at Rebecca, whom he saw smile and wave in return, the teen then threw a scowl at the offending feline. "Besides, I have no idea what you're talking about." After hearing Luka meow next, Gohan's face turned even redder and he swatted the air above her ears. "Hey. I'm telling you, it's not _like_ that. I'm not going with her because I want her to be my mate-… well… maybe not now, but…" Realizing what he was about to say next had the spiky haired Saiyan shake his head furiously to rid himself of the dirty images that flashed through his mind. When he glared down at the two cats, he swore he could see them grinning at him. "Look. Whatever. I'm going."

When Gohan stood up, Shay and Luka lifted their paws, which he then responded by giving each of them a high-five. After which the Saiyan turned towards the woods, where he spotted the clan of ring-tailed lemurs gathered along the edge and jumping around excitedly. Knowing they'd come out to say goodbye as well, the Saiyan raised a hand and waved back at them, before then turning around and following Rebecca up the ramp.

"You two look after yourselves," were Gohan's last words to his pair of feline friends.

Within a matter of minutes, the ramp and anchor were both raised, the sails had been set loose, and the wheel of the ship was unlatched, allowing the voluntary captain to take control of the helm. Once all lines were secured and everything on the vessel had been double-checked, with the help of Rebecca, Gohan was able to cast off and begin maneuvering the ship away from the shallows. Using the currents and the wind to guide them out into the open ocean, the pair then proceeded to follow the map and compass towards the nearest town, which was approximately a two week trip from their current position.

As they headed out, the young Saiyan gave one last fond look back to the island he'd called home for the last seven years, before turning his attention to the horizon beyond, not knowing what kind of future lay in store for him.

XXX

(A few days later)

Needing to touch up on their sailing skills, both Gohan and Rebecca spent the beginning of their first week out at sea clumsily going about the deck of the _Cordial Mary_ , learning the ropes and familiarizing themselves with all the aspects of the vessel.

For the young Saiyan captaining the brigantine class ship, steering the wooden craft towards the nearest port town seemed simple enough in theory. But it was actually applying the directions needed to do so that was the tricky part.

Together the two walked through every single feature of the boat from the helm, to the keel, to the top of the sails. Tying the knots and working the cables turned out to be the most complicated parts to work their heads around, as they had to experiment with each one to see what and how each of them functioned. They even had to go through the process of figuring out what to do in case of emergencies, including fires, storms and other unexpected stoppages.

Since there weren't really any manuals on board, the two of them pretty much had to play it by ear until they arrived at a port where they could get some actual intelligence on how to properly run a ship. But so far they seemed to be doing pretty well on their own.

Thankfully the winds and weather were good to Gohan and Rebecca during their first sailing period, as the ship continued to make its way across the ocean at a decent speed. With the maps they had on hand, the Saiyan was able to chart a course for them straight for the nearest inhabited landmasses, where he planned to drop off their prisoners, collect on whatever bounties they had on them, and hopefully find a place where he and Rebecca could clean themselves up.

After one of them had been marooned on an island for seven years and another had pretty much been treated like a slave for several months in less than adequate conditions, it was understandable why the two of them wanted to make this pit stop. Gohan also wanted to go to the shops to get some decent ideas for clothing designs, as he was tired of wearing the same gi over and over again.

Yes, Piccolo's outfit was nice and served its purpose well. But for once Gohan wanted to look at something that could be worn with both style and comfort… preferably an outfit better suited for the new role he was going for.

He definitely wasn't going to dress up like those guys in the hold though. Ugh.

There was also a matter of knowing where the two of them were going. If they were really sailing to the other side of the world through an ocean laden with the worst conditions the universe could throw at them, then Gohan knew it would be prudent for them to gather up as much information and directions as they possibly could.

These were only the first steps.

As the ship drifted through the calm and placid tides, over by the railing, Rebecca had found a quiet spot overlooking the entire ocean. Feeling the breeze whip through her hair and brush against her skin, the young woman sighed and allowed a small smile to cross her lips. When she felt a familiar presence appear behind her, she slowly turned to see Gohan beaming in her direction from a few feet away, hands in his pockets and his white cape sitting comfortably over his shoulders.

"How are you feeling?"

Rebecca turned around with a gentle glimmer in her eyes, "I'm great. Better than… I have been in a long time."

"That's good," Gohan chirped, reaching up and adjusting the thick collar around his neck. "We've got a few more days to go before we reach our destination. If you're up for it, we can start your training right now." This statement immediately had the young princess light up with excitement and hop on over to stand directly in front of him. Rebecca's enthusiasm caused the Saiyan to chuckle, "You seem pretty keen."

"You are an amazing fighter… and I know that no matter what trials lay ahead, it'll be a real privilege to learn under you, Gohan-sensei," Rebecca replied boisterously, her face practically glowing at this point.

Her compliments had Gohan smile, "There's no need to call me sensei, Rebecca. Just call me Gohan."

"O-Okay…" Appearing hesitant at first, a blush soon filled the girl's cheeks as she then replied in the manner her newfound trainer had requested, "Gohan-kun."

The Saiyan laughed a little, "Close enough." Taking a moment to look her over, the Z-fighter then noticed the ragged shirt she had on. "Ah, shoot. I forgot you're still wearing that. I can't believe those bastards made you wear only one thing the entire time you were on their boat." When Rebecca pulled at the hem and looked down the length of her torso, Gohan then stepped forward and brought a hand to hover over her head. His actions had the girl tuck up slightly. "Don't worry. I'll fix that up for you right now." Concentrating for a moment, the hybrid then gave a loud yell, before the girl's entire body became engulfed in a blue flash.

When the light cleared, Rebecca became astonished when she found herself in a completely new outfit. In contrast to her beige shirt, she now wore an orange gi, with a blue obi around her waist, blue boots, wrist bands, and a blue undershirt. On first glance it looked exactly like the gi that Goku wore when he first went to Namek, with the only difference being that the orange top wasn't tucked into the belt but had the obi wrapped around it, leaving the bottom hem hanging around the waist. Also, when Rebecca looked down at the front, she saw a black and white symbol emblazoned on the material across her left breast, which was the kanji for 'Son'. When she fixed her gaze upon her instructor, she saw him standing there and admiring his work.

"It's been a while since I've used this uniform design. Not bad," Gohan exclaimed, before looking up at the slightly embarrassed and still astonished Rebecca. "How does it fit?"

"It's nice," Rebecca murmured under her breath, patting herself down and giving a couple of skips to test the boots. Marveled that the Saiyan was able to get her measurements perfectly, she then looked back at him in confusion. "I don't understand. How did-?"

Gohan then waved all of the fingers on his right hand with a cheeky grin, "Magic." Lowering his arm, the hybrid's expression then became serious. "That uniform is the outfit my dad trained in ever since he was little and is perfect for the regime I have planned for you." Turning his attention to the space next to him, he pointed his finger towards the deck and fired a similar beam down at it. In a puff of smoke, Rebecca saw a series of weapons emerge from underneath the veil. From left to right, there was: a long sword, a yari, a set of daggers, a saber, a large cutlass, a guandao, and a Bo staff.

Before she could ask what those were for, Rebecca saw Gohan maneuver around and stretch his arm out, drawing her attention over to him. "First I want to see how strong you actually are and what you're capable of. That means I want you to come at me with everything you've got; armed or unarmed, so I can determine your strengths and weaknesses." Stopping directly in the middle of the deck, the martial artist locked his glare onto Rebecca, showing her that he meant business. "You're going to have to fight me seriously if you have any chance of beating me."

Nodding and gulping at the tone in Gohan's voice, Rebecca approached the line of weapons and carefully looked them over. Since she didn't require anything too elaborate or fancy, she went straight for the long sword. Picking up the claymore and taking it into a single-handed grip, she then faced her opponent and swung the weapon about to test its weight and balance. After performing a few impressive tricks and spins with the blade that had Gohan raise an eyebrow, the woman then set herself into a fighting stance, sword held tightly in both hands and her glare set firmly on her target.

"I'm ready," Rebecca announced.

Cracking a smile, Gohan held out his hand and produced another weapon for himself. In a flash of blue light, a thin stick of bamboo appeared in his grip, which he then pointed towards his opponent. Swinging it out, the Saiyan then assumed an upright stance, with the cane positioned defensively at his side.

For several moments the two fighters held their ground, watching each other carefully through sharp eyes while sizing their opponent up. Moving out to get some more room, Rebecca began to pace around her foe, shuffling in a wide circle to see if she could get her opponent from a blind spot.

From what she could see, Gohan's stance was full of openings and he wasn't even bothering to move from his spot. With her sword suspended directly in front of her and shielding her body, Rebecca knew she was in a perfect position to attack. So, after edging around the deck for a couple of minutes, the pink haired girl decided to make the first move.

With a loud yell, she charged forward at a surprising speed, bringing her sword up high before swinging it down at her target. The blade descended towards Gohan in a wide arc, threatening to cleave him in two. However, just when it seemed like she would hit, her blade shuddered to a stop just an inch above Gohan's cranium, with a stunned Rebecca standing frozen in place.

"Huh? Why didn't you try to avoid it?" the girl asked in bewilderment, having purposefully held herself back from dealing the potentially final blow.

Gohan smiled, "I searched your feelings, so I knew that you would stop." Repeating the words his father had spoken to Mirai Trunks when they first encountered all those years ago, the demi-Saiyan then narrowed his eyes critically. "You have superb control over your movements and your speed is incredible, despite wielding such a heavy weapon. That tells me that you're much stronger than the average person." His smile quickly disappeared. "But if you want to beat me here today, you're going to have to do a lot better than that."

Withdrawing her sword nervously and bringing it back, Rebecca nodded in understanding. "O-Okay, Gohan-kun."

"I can take it. A sword like this won't be able to cut me, even if you swing at me as hard as you can," Gohan reassured, keeping his eyes set squarely on the anxious female. "Trust me."

Once again, after taking a moment to regain her composure, Rebecca moved around her opponent to attack from a new position. After finding an appropriate starting point, she dashed forward, giving a loud battle cry and swinging across at him with her massive blade. This time, instead of standing in the same spot, Gohan side-stepped to avoid the blow and hopped to a safe distance, forcing the pink haired female to give chase. The gutsy swordswoman came swinging after her target, attempting to steer him into the path of her blade and cut him off. When she saw him duck an overhead swing, she switched her grip and redirected the motion of her strike to get him from above, but watched him sway to the side and avoid her blow effortlessly, causing the tip of the weapon to strike the deck.

Smirking, Rebecca suddenly rotated the blade and drove it upwards, throwing splinters of wood towards Gohan's face. When he performed a quick left sway to avoid the rain of debris, the girl's sword came chopping down at his neck. _"I know where you're going to dodge. I can see it. Right there!"_ She was ready to catch him the instant he stopped moving.

However, to her utter astonishment, as her sword continued to descend, the pink haired girl watched in bullet time as Gohan lifted a finger and ran it along the flat side of the blade, before pulling his head back and avoiding the attack altogether. This caused Rebecca to overshoot, the momentum of her missed strike causing her to stumble.

" _What? I thought I had him!"_ She then saw the martial artist bring his fist up and prepare to throw a punch, which she easily telegraphed through her ridiculous sense of timing. _"He's going to counter with a right. Okay. I'll just slip around it."_ And that's exactly what Rebecca did; rearing her head and swaying backwards to avoid his half-hearted blow.

It seemed like an easy evasion, as Gohan's knuckles stopped just an inch away from her face. However, the moment his punch fully extended, the Saiyan suddenly flicked his finger out and slapped her in the forehead, with enough force to send the stunned girl sliding on her feet along the deck.

When Rebecca slammed into the railing running along the side of the ship a split second later, the girl gasped and stumbled forward, a red mark imprinted on her brow. _"He hit me? How?"_ Apparently he was able to read her intentions just as well as she could read his and struck her in such a way that he could avoid injuring her too badly.

Obviously he was holding back. But even if he was, Rebecca was certain she shouldn't be having this much trouble predicting him, especially with her reflexes. This immediately gave her cause to fight even harder and, after picking herself off of the barrier and watching her foe lower his arm, the girl once again sprang into action.

Gritting her teeth, Rebecca wildly slashed out at her opponent several more times, watching as he backed just out of reach of her blade. When he tried to side-step another thrust, the princess dropped low and attempted to trip him with a sweeping back kick. However, instead of catching the foot he was going to land on, she suddenly saw his leg stop directly above hers before kicking out at the extended limb, knocking it away and sending Rebecca tumbling across the deck.

Yelping painfully with every roll, Rebecca quickly leapt back to her feet and took another stance, spotting her opponent darting towards her with his bamboo cane in hand. In response the girl charged as well, yelling at the top of her lungs as she swung at him with another downward strike.

Her attacks came slicing out at him in a series of silver flashes, but the Saiyan avoided each and every one of them with ease. Dancing around her deadly accurate strikes, Gohan then proceeded to block them with his bamboo cane, redirecting the princess's attacks every time they came in close. When she struck high and low, he blocked and back-stepped, before then whipping his cane at her head. The girl saw it coming, but due to the attack's speed she was unable to avoid it in time, so she was forced to block with her arm.

The cane hit her limb with a loud 'snap', causing Rebecca to yelp and bring her sword up. Gritting her teeth, the princess stepped forward with a stabbing motion, only for Gohan to side-step, avoid the blade, and smack her in the arm with the cane a second time. He then struck down at her head, forcing her to once again block with her forearm. When she stepped away, he struck her in the thigh, drawing yet another yelp of pain from the girl and forcing her to jump back to a safe distance with a bewildered look on her face.

Gritting her teeth, Rebecca spun in and, concealing her sword's movements with her body, struck at her foe with a second thrusting motion. But instead of fooling her opponent and forcing him in the direction she was expecting, Gohan stepped in the opposite direction, knocked her sword away and gave her three repeated slaps to the butt and back with his cane. Crying out as she scampered away gripping her derrière, Rebecca shot a dirty glare at the demi-Saiyan, who she could see was smiling mischievously at her.

Tears of pain shimmering in her eyes, the pink haired female quickly grew frustrated and, giving another battle cry, rushed at him and swung at his head with an overhead strike. But before her sword could come even close, Gohan unexpectedly ducked in and, thrusting his bamboo shaft upwards, rammed the tip of it directly underneath her armpit, stopping her attack dead.

Gohan smiled at the gaping girl, as her blade was stuck frozen just an inch above his skull. "Now that's more like it."

Still trapped in mid-motion with her limb completely numb, Rebecca's eyes shone in disbelief. "Whoa. N-No way." She then felt her opponent shove her backwards with his cane, but her arm was still locked in the same, extended position. "What did you just do?"

"I hit the pressure point directly underneath your arm pit, which is now preventing you from bending it all the way down," Gohan said, shrugging at the princess when he saw her attempt to push her limb back down. "A handy little trick I learned over the last seven years."

Struggling to get her limb to move, Rebecca quickly gave up and, using her other hand, grabbed the sword out of her dead one and spun around, simultaneously freeing her other arm from its paralysis. With a yell of effort she struck at Gohan's head one last time, but was once again blocked and ended up getting slapped in the ribs and leg. When her leg buckled, Gohan thrust his cane upwards and slapped the fingers she had wrapped around the weapon's handle, causing her to drop her sword and stumble away. Knees finally giving way, Rebecca collapsed to the deck, panting and whimpering while nursing the various welts she'd received from his bamboo weapon.

The spar over, Gohan stepped forward with a sympathetic look on his face. When he saw Rebecca glare up at him, he clearly saw the tears threatening to leave her eyes while she attempted to ease the bruises on her limbs.

"That was mean, Gohan-kun," Rebecca whined, throwing her best, hateful glare at the teen and failing miserably.

"Hey, compared to what I had to go through, that was nothing," Gohan chuckled before slipping his 'sword' into his obi. "Trust me; things are going to get much harder from here on out. Having second thoughts?" After seeing the princess turn away to think for a moment, he then saw her glare up at him determinedly, which immediately gave the Saiyan his answer. "Good. The next time we spar, I won't just be using a stick. I'm going to be hitting you with punches, elbows, knees, kicks… the works, so that you can get used to things when they get really tough. Understand?"

Nodding affirmatively, Rebecca rose to her feet. While still massaging her fingers, she turned back to her teacher with an inquisitive look. "How did I do?"

"Honestly? A lot better than I was expecting," Gohan answered, placing a hand on his hip and beaming cheerfully. "You're definitely faster and more agile than most people, and the power behind your strikes is pretty impressive." He then craned his head to the side, "I also noticed you've got some amazing reflexes. It almost looked like you were anticipating most of my moves and trying to herd me in certain directions."

Rebecca nodded and took a deep breath, "Soldier-san taught me how to fight without getting hurt by blocking and redirecting an opponent's attacks, as well as using their weight and momentum against them. I also learned how to read and avoid an opponent's blows without even thinking about it. I believe it's a skill people on the Grand Line refer to as Kenbunshoku Haki, which allows the user to sense the presence of others and predict their movements, even when they're concealed."

"So it's like an advanced form of ki-reading?" Gohan murmured, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting. It looks like a lot of the techniques practiced in my world are also practiced in this one… only the people have different names for them. I'm guessing it's because of the different histories and cultures." He then grinned at the girl when he saw her massage her backside again. "In any case, you are already a fine and capable warrior." Upon which he then pointed at the floor at their feet. "If you hadn't been chained up the way you were when we first met, I have no doubt you would've been able to defeat most of the men down in the storeroom."

Rebecca responded by shooting him an envious look. "But I'm still nowhere near as fast or as strong as you are. You were able to perfectly predict all of my moves and counter them so easily… and you even hit me after I tried to dodge." She emphasized this by rubbing the red bruise on her forehead.

"Don't worry," Gohan assured her with a wave of his hand, "By the time I'm finished training you, you'll be so strong and fast even _I'll_ be finding it difficult to hit you." When he saw her eyes fix squarely upon him, the demi-Saiyan rested his hands on his hips. "Now that I know exactly what you can do, I have a pretty good idea of what I'll be able to teach you over the next few months. For your training, I'll be getting you to go through an intense series of routines to practice every day to build up your strength, stamina and speed. During that time, I'll also be teaching you how to develop your hand-to-hand combat skills, so that if you happen to lose your weapon during a battle, you'll still be able to fight using your bare hands."

Looking down at her limbs, the pink haired girl thought for a moment before glancing up at her newfound trainer nervously. "My mother told me that it was wrong to hurt other people, even during a fight, because all it did was cause pain and make people cry." She then looked down at her feet and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I… I want to try to avoid hurting my opponents, because if I do, maybe they will think better of me afterwards and surrender peacefully instead."

Gohan frowned when he heard the princess say this and tilted his head at the apprehensive girl. Looking at Rebecca's face, he saw that she really was conflicted by the notion of actually fighting, even if she was just defending herself, because it meant inflicting pain upon another person. It was something he'd picked up on right at the beginning of their spar when he sensed her hesitation. In a way, he admired and respected Rebecca for that.

The girl had an innocent and honorable nature to her, and was probably the most compassionate warrior Gohan had ever met. After seeing her in action, the young Saiyan saw that her fighting style reflected her mother's wishes not to bring harm to another person, as each swing she made was thrown with no intent to kill. That was an ideal very few were able to live up to.

However, despite her stance on the matter, he knew that somewhere over the length of their journey, the two of them were going to end up entangled in some form of conflict. His encounter with the pirates on the beach a few days ago was proof of that. And since Rebecca was determined to get strong enough to fight against what he perceived was an incredibly dangerous foe in order to avenge her family and free her country, there was no doubt that she was going to wind up getting her hands dirty. So with that in mind, Gohan went about fixing this quandary as best as he could.

Stepping forward, Gohan prompted Rebecca to look up at him. Upon which he then gave her an considerate smile. "I understand what you mean by not wanting to hurt other people. When I was younger, I didn't like the idea of fighting and hurting others either. Maybe it was because my mum hated the idea of me becoming a martial artist and spent most of her days trying to put me off of it. In a way, you and I share something in common." When he saw the pink haired princess gaze at him with interest, his expression then became a little more serious. "During my last battle, when the fate of the world was resting on my shoulders, I thought that if I showed my opponent restraint and tried to reason with him, I would be able to avoid hurting him and convince him to leave. It honestly seemed like a good idea at the time."

Hearing this had Rebecca tilt her head curiously. "What happened?"

It was this question that had a grave look fall upon Gohan's face. "Things went bad really fast. He started attacking me without hesitation, goading me into getting angry and showing him my real power. When that didn't work, he turned his attention to my friends and started attacking them instead, while I was left to watch helplessly from the sidelines." His eyes reflected both guilt and sadness as memories of that battle filled his head. "It was while I was standing there, begging for him to stop and looking on as my friends were beaten and tortured, I realized that holding back and not giving everything I had in that fight put everyone that I cared about and the entire world in harm's way."

Rebecca blinked in surprise, "R-Really?"

Closing his eyes, the demi-Saiyan took a deep, shaky breath, "My father and best friend died during that battle, because I was too naïve… believing that I could convince my opponent to surrender peacefully." He then glanced back up with a serious expression on his face. "I learned an important lesson that day... that some people, no matter how much you don't want to hurt them, could not be stopped through reason or restraint. Because of this, I vowed that I would become strong enough so that I could use my powers to protect those that I care about and to do what was necessary to win, so that the same thing could _never_ happen again." Turning his full gaze to the princess, the young Saiyan stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You may not like it, Rebecca, but trust me… one of these days, when you come across a person like _that_ , someone who is willing to hurt innocent people to get what they want, you may have to give a few bruises of your own in order to protect those you care about."

Hearing the earnestness and certainty in his voice had Rebecca pause for a moment. After looking into his eyes and feeling the gravity of what he was expressing weighing down on her person, the warrior princess quickly held her head up high and nodded in understanding. "There have been a few times when I almost had to hit back in order to defend myself. But every time I did, I always managed to get away." She then braced herself, "If you believe it will help me avenge my family and free my kingdom, I will do my best to become strong and follow your lead."

Gohan then beamed brightly at her words, "Living by one's convictions and beliefs isn't a sign of weakness, Rebecca. It can actually be a really powerful and noble thing. That's why, instead of just teaching you how to fight, I'm going to teach you how to control your strength and to use only the necessary amount of force to win." He then stepped back and gestured towards her, "I will train you how to fight in a way that will allow you to defeat your opponents quickly… so that they lose their will and ability to carry on. Thus, not only will you be able to avoid hurting and killing your opponents, but also stop yourself from getting hurt at the same time. Is that okay?"

With the Saiyan offering a form of compromise that can satisfy both ends, Rebecca's eyes lit up and she responded fervently, "Yes. I can definitely do that."

Her answer put a smile on the teen's face. "Glad to hear it," Gohan chuckled, before reaching down and picking up the girl's large sword. "In order to do what needs to be done, you're going to have to learn how to fight using a different style. So that means you won't be using _this_ anymore." He then pointed at the claymore in his hand.

"Huh? Why not?" Rebecca asked in surprise.

"A big sword doesn't always mean a better chance of beating your opponent," Gohan responded while leveling the blade out in front of him. "Though you have amazing technique and can definitely handle yourself in battle, swinging this massive weapon around offsets your weight and slows you down. If you're going to defeat someone quickly without wounding them, you're going to need something lighter, easier to control, and less threatening." He then wandered over to the arrangement of martial arts equipment and, without even having to assess any of them, picked up the Bo staff at the end. When he turned around, he spun the stick about with one hand before holding it parallel to the floor. "I think this one is much better suited for you." He then tossed it over to the princess.

When she caught it, Rebecca took one look at the weapon and smiled. "You're going to teach me to use a weapon that doesn't cut people?" All things considered, this was actually the perfect tool for her to use. Not only did she no longer have to be afraid of drawing blood, but she would also be able to move around easier.

That's two points so far.

"Uh-huh. Not only is a staff blunt and incredibly versatile, but it's also easy to disguise. Very few people would suspect a pole user to be dangerous, so not only does it attract less attention, it can also serve as a big surprise to anyone who decides to start trouble with you," Gohan informed, setting the large sword down and approaching the delighted princess, who was now beginning to swing the stick around like her previous weapon. The Saiyan stopped her and, taking one of her hands in his, moved it up the length of the Bo. "I'll show you how to use this later. First we need to build on your base strengths before moving into the technical stuff. Just remember to keep it close and practice with it every day, okay?"

Getting a little red in the face from their physical contact, Rebecca nodded vigorously and looked away to hide her embarrassment. "I-I will." She then pulled the weapon in and pressed it to her ample chest. "I promise to take good care of it, Gohan-kun. You have my word."

Upon registering to her declaration, Gohan straightened up. "Good. Now, I think it's about time we started whipping you into fighting shape." His change in tone was easily noticed and immediately had Rebecca's full attention. After watching the girl set aside her staff, Gohan then positioned himself a few feet in front of her with his arms folded and a firm stare fixed on her person. "That outfit you're wearing isn't just for show. It's a sturdy and robust uniform that will serve as the primary medium in your training." When he saw the girl glance at her outfit, the Saiyan then raised his hand. "Allow me to demonstrate." He then shot an electrical beam at Rebecca, which enveloped her for a full second before the princess suddenly dropped to the floor with a 'thud'.

Falling onto her hands and knees, Rebecca gasped when she felt the mass of her body increase unexpectedly. "W-What the heck? Why am I so heavy all of a sudden?" She then looked up at the Saiyan in momentary alarm. "Is… Is this part of your training, Gohan-kun?"

Gohan snickered at the incredulous look on the princess's face as she struggled back to her feet. "You bet it is. If you're going to be able to fight the way you want to, you're going to need to hit and take out your opponent before he has a chance to take you out. That means you'll have to become stronger and faster than any other person you happen to come across." He added to this by pointing across the ocean, before then directing her attention back to her gi. "This weight that I've applied to your outfit will help you achieve this goal."

Panting as she tried to straighten herself up, Rebecca then brought her arms about and attempted to hold them, but found it difficult due to the added weight on her wrist bands. "H-How much did you put on me?"

Gohan then began pointing at random bits of clothing, "The wrist bands and boots weigh about fifteen kilograms each, while the under shirt tops at around twenty. So, adding them all together, you're carrying a total of about eighty kilograms."

Rebecca gaped at the young male. "Are you kidding me? Eighty kilograms? Isn't putting that much weight on a person dangerous?"

"Don't worry. It's perfectly safe. This is how all of my friends and family trained back home… and the amount of weight they used was much greater than what I'm giving you to start off with," Gohan answered, before patting his shirt proudly. "Right now, I'm wearing a total of three thousand, five hundred kilograms… and that's just my walking around weight."

The girl's eyes almost bugged out of their sockets, before she then looked down at her trembling knees. "So this… will help me get stronger, faster?"

Turning to the side, the young Saiyan then cracked a smile. "If you want to catch me, then you're going to have to work extra hard if you're going to have even the slightest chance."

When she saw the cocky smirk he threw at her, Rebecca's expression steeled into one of determination and defiance. Being the highly competitive type herself, she then nodded to the hybrid in response, "Okay. I'll do it."

Grinning broadly, Gohan then pointed her across the deck. "You can start by getting used to those weights: fifty jogging laps around the entire ship, then a hundred pushups, a hundred crunches, a hundred squats, and fifty stair sprints. After that I want a thousand punches and a thousand front kicks, before finishing up with another fifty laps around the vessel."

At first Rebecca wanted to gape at him for his impossibly tall order. But sucking it up, the princess was able to stumble about and heave herself into action, beginning her run at a staggered pace. As Gohan prepared to sit back and watch her work, the boy chuckled when he heard her feet stomp loudly against the floor.

"Remember, Rebecca, you have to be light-footed. Control the weight of each step and don't mess up the woodwork," Gohan exclaimed with a brilliant smile on his face, before looking on as the girl struggled to get up the stairs. "That burning sensation in your legs is good. It means the training is working."

XXX

(A week and a half later)

Gohan had Rebecca run the same drills twice a day; once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Despite this, every second of the warrior princess's waking life was spent exercising in some way, whether it was physically or mentally. The demi-Saiyan made doubly certain to cover all bases before getting her to start on the really technical stuff, which involved teaching her proper movements and fighting techniques.

By the third day, when Rebecca had finally gotten comfortable with the amount of weight she was carrying, he began walking her through the basic katas and steps. Using a Bo staff of his own and standing side-by-side with her, he prompted the princess to follow his lead and copy every movement he did exactly. Gohan would start off slow at first, correcting Rebecca's stance and positioning every so often, before beginning to speed things up. He would do then do the same with the hand-to-hand styles he wanted to teach her, making sure she could move and balance herself properly, before showing her the punches and kicks.

In between the weight, cardio and technique drills he had Rebecca run, Gohan also got her to fight him. The pair did these sessions without any weapons whatsoever and primarily consisted of the demi-Saiyan standing inside a chalk drawn circle for about two hours, while Rebecca tried to hit him. He would then proceed to dance around the girl with both hands behind his back, watching as she attempted to hit him using the skills and movements he'd taught her.

It was actually quite an entertaining sight, watching the pink haired princess lash out at the demi-Saiyan as Gohan's form blurred between her punches, before somehow ending up behind her and landing a playful chop to the back of her head. He would then proceed to correct her leg and arm positions in between, before then letting her go at it once again.

"Your movements are too rigid, Rebecca. You need to relax," Gohan instructed, dodging a series of punches before then catching the kick she attempted to land on him. When he saw the girl look at him in surprise, the Saiyan then used his foot to correct her standing leg. "I told you not to snap your roundhouse kicks. Use your leg as a hinge, pivot on your toes and turn your hip, otherwise your kick has no power in it." He then released her limb and watched her stumble out of the circle.

As soon as Rebecca fell back into a stance, the girl let out a yell and lunged towards him with another punch, only for Gohan to step around and kick her back leg out, causing her to trip and fall flat on her face.

"Don't get frustrated. Calm down. Otherwise you start making mistakes," Gohan stated, hearing the girl groan as she pushed herself back up.

The moment she did, Rebecca spun around and thrust her foot out in a side kick, only to see her opponent dodge it and smile at her when she retracted her leg. Upon which she moved forward a third time with yet another series of attacks, which the Saiyan teen speedily avoided.

"That's it. Don't lose focus. Make every one of them count."

"Yes!" the girl shouted back, continuing her assault. When Gohan threw a punch at her head, she blocked it and countered with an uppercut at the same time, which the demi-Saiyan swayed back to avoid.

By the time the hours were up, Rebecca was so exhausted and so beat up from her bout that she was unable to move, and would simply lie sprawled out on the deck for a full half hour, staring at the sky.

It was a pretty busy period for the young warrior. Even though she was able to get accustomed to the weight training, the princess's sessions were always incredibly tough, as Gohan made it a point to up the ante after every session.

While a majority of the pair's time was spent training with each other, there were also some downtime moments where the two youngsters would simply lie around and chat. The young Saiyan would talk about some of his more exciting days on the island and Rebecca would regale him with her many adventures out at sea, including the time she spent with Soldier-san back on Dressrosa. Her stories always had Gohan rapt and made the powerful warrior from Earth even more eager to visit her home island to see what it was like.

The duo would also share breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and though neither one of them was any good at cooking; they were still satisfied with the meals they were able to come up with. Gohan also remembered to go down into the hold to feed their prisoners, whom would curse him out before he left them in the dark for another few hours to think about their mistakes.

All of this equated to a pleasant, several-day-long voyage for the adventurous pair. When Gohan and Rebecca finally reached their first island destination, both of them were so jazzed up and eager that they couldn't wait to hit the streets for a full day of rest, recreation and fun…

OOO

(Port of Kyon Island)

After making sure he'd gotten rid of the Jolly Roger and any other incriminating evidence on board the vessel, Gohan carefully steered the ship into port. The town resting on the edge of that part of the island arced around in a crescent moon shape, where dozens of jetties and walkways with ships docked alongside them could be seen. Judging from the number of vessels there were and how well the town was kept by the locals, it was safe to say this was a very populated spot, which was good news for the two adventurers wanting to jump off here.

Once the ship had been tied up at the next available peer, Rebecca lowered the gangplank while Gohan went below deck to grab their prisoners. By the time he came back up with the former crew in tow, the pink haired princess gave her friend a strange looked when she saw he was carrying one half of the group over his left shoulder while the other half, still bound in rope, was dragging their feet behind him.

Judging from the states of unconsciousness of the men the Saiyan was carrying, it was obvious to Rebecca that they'd put up somewhat of a fight when he came down to collect them. Well… not exactly a fight; more like… flailing angrily before being knocked out with a few quick taps to their necks.

With Captain Havoc slung over his shoulder and a few of his buddies balanced precariously on top of his massive form, Gohan smiled at Rebecca when he stopped on the jetty directly alongside her, "Let's get these lowlifes to a bounty station and see how much we can get off of them. Then afterwards we can go find a salon and tidy up." He then flicked some of his long hair out of his face and over his shoulder, "As much as I loved the mullet look back in the day, it's starting to get really annoying every time I go Super Saiyan."

"Sure thing," Rebecca replied cheerily, adjusting the staff she had strapped to her back before her eyes strayed over to their vessel. After giving the brigantine craft a quick once over, she then looked back at her trainer and thumbed over to it, "What about the ship? Will it be okay if we just leave it here?"

"Ah, I'm sure it'll be fine," Gohan exclaimed, while at the same time gesturing to the bustling port around them. "There are hundreds of ships here and a ton of harbor workers standing guard over them." When he looked down the length of the jetty, he spotted what he immediately believed was this area's foreman, who was currently writing stuff down in a notepad with his eyes glued on a second ship docked further down the pier. "Like that guy over there." Without even thinking twice, Gohan led Rebecca and their cast of prisoners over to the person in question. "Excuse me, sir?"

The dock supervisor, a man about the same height and build as Rebecca, with short orange hair, a curly mustache, and wearing a white marine shirt, blue shorts, boots, and a sailor's cap that concealed a bit of their face, turned in the approaching group's direction with a surprised blink.

"Yes?" the man replied, in a tone that sounded suspiciously like someone trying to deepen their voice.

Not paying it any mind or noticing the young "man" with the writing pad nudge a large sack of something behind the crates they were standing next to, Gohan smiled pleasantly at the worker and nodded to the boat behind him. "Is it okay if we leave our ship here? We're pretty new to the area and we're not quite sure what the docking rules are on this island."

The foreman nodded in understanding, while at the same time bringing up the manifest in his hands, "Certainly. All ships are permitted to tie up at whatever docking spaces are available. I'll just need the captain's name, signature, and a list of the cargo you're currently transporting." He added the last bit by tapping his pen against the edge of the paper.

Gohan grinned brightly, "The captain's name is Son Gohan, I guess… and all we've got on board are a couple weeks worth of provisions, including food, water… oh, and several crates of alcohol and rum. I suppose that stuff is worth mentioning."

Writing all of this information down, the orange haired foreman then looked up, "Any other goods or valuables to declare? Jewels, gold bars, or beli left unaccounted for?"

While a couple of the prisoners standing behind Gohan looked at each other oddly over the foreman's unorthodox question, the demi-Saiyan simply went with it and shook his head. "Nope. All we've got are the clothes on our backs and _these_ guys." He pointed at the men on his shoulder, before then peering down at the man's writing pad. "Is that all?"

Though appearing momentarily disappointed, a smile then graced the mustached man's lips, "Yes. That should be fine." The person then handed the book towards the young Saiyan, completely ignoring the fact that he was carrying about a dozen huge men over his shoulder like they were sacks of flour.

After double-checking the information, Gohan then turned to Rebecca and spoke under his breath, "Hey? Do you know how much the docking fees are at these kinds of ports? I'm not really familiar with the exchange rate."

The princess then raised her hand and held up two fingers, "Renting a space for a few days on the Grand Line for merchant vessels usually costs around a thousand beli. Five hundred if you include taxes. I'm not too sure what it would cost here."

"Ah. Okay," Gohan exclaimed, reaching into his obi and pulling out what he guessed were the necessary funds.

When the foreman noticed the amount of notes the young Saiyan was withdrawing, beli signs suddenly filled his eyes before the short administrator spoke up, "Renting a dock here for a day costs two thousand beli."

This immediately had Gohan stop and the tied up pirates gape in shock. The young Saiyan then pointed at the walkway at their feet in disbelief, "Seriously? If renting this space for a day really costs that much, I will eat my own shoes."

Tugging at her- I mean, _his_ mustache, the foreman then straightened up, "Sorry, sir. But those are the rules. You have to understand that… uhh…" He then reared back a bit when Gohan suddenly leaned forward till his nose was just an inch away from his. Seeing the Saiyan squint as if he were trying to get a better look at his face, the now noticeably unnerved dock officer began to stutter. "Umm. W-What… what are you doing?"

Making a thoughtful murmuring sound, Gohan then decided to speak, "You know, this might be my years of loneliness on an island surrounded by lemurs and cats finally kicking in, but I think you're… quite attractive." His words not only had the orange haired foreman blush to the roots of his hair, but it also had Rebecca's jaw drop.

"W-W-W-What?" the mustached individual stammered in a very girly, high pitched voice.

"I'm serious. If you take away the mustache and the sailor's cap, you're actually really, really cute," Gohan said, before then turning to the prisoners standing behind him and pointing at the stuttering foreman. "You guys think so too, right? I mean, look at him."

After getting a thorough look at the blushing port authority member, Lewis and a couple of his boys nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I think so."

"He's really, _really_ cute."

"Is that normal?"

"Do you want to go out later, foreman-san?"

Gohan threw his arm out incredulously, "I know, right?" By this time the incredibly feminine foreman's face had flashed several different shades of red. He then looked across at Rebecca, whom he saw was scowling at him with her cheeks puffed out in a clear sign of jealousy. "This is starting to get a little weird, isn't it?"

"Just pay the man already," the pink haired girl snapped in a surprisingly impatient tone.

Doing as he was told so as to not incur the wrath of his student, Gohan chuckled nervously and, after signing away on the notepad, handed it and the necessary bills back over to the dock supervisor. When he saw the person double check the paperwork, the demi-Saiyan then readjusted the bodies slung over his shoulder and began making his way down the pier. "Thanks a bunch."

"Enjoy your stay on Kyon Island, sir," the still slightly red foreman replied, waving as the newcomer and his partner marched their prisoners into town.

"We will."

The moment the official saw the group disappear, he then carelessly dropped his notepad to the floor, removed his hat, and tore the mustache off of his face, revealing to the world that 'he' was in fact a she… and a breathtaking one at that. More proof was given shortly thereafter when the gorgeous young girl removed her top, showing that she was slim young girl, wearing a white halter top over an incredibly curvaceous figure, and some bandages wrapped around her left shoulder.

After dispersing of her disguise, the orange haired girl quickly grabbed the sack with the beli symbol she had hidden behind the crates, and boarded the brigantine ship Gohan had just docked. Sparing one last look back at the town, the mysterious female cracked a mischievous smile.

"Sorry, handsome, but I'm gonna need to borrow your ship," she chirped, before kicking the gangplank away and hopping on board.

Within ten minutes, she and the _Cordial Mary_ were gone.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: Another chapter down and the story starts to unfold. Gohan and Rebecca begin their journey across the East Blue, where Gohan establishes his plan to train Rebecca and the princess becomes determined to learn under him and become stronger.

However, their journey has encountered a little hitch, and their ship ends up stolen. By whom I wonder? Hmm…


	4. Living Hard, Living Easy

**A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _Living Hard, Living Easy_

(Over the next few hours)

Dropping their prisoners off at the bounty station proved to be a rather entertaining transaction for the young Gohan and Rebecca. First they watched as the officer at the front desk clumsily tried to identify the unconscious prisoners slung over the demi-Saiyan's shoulder. After which they then stood back and allowed him and his coworkers to carry them and their abnormally large Captain away for processing. Once all was said and done, the administrator paid Gohan the full bounty for the entire crew, before letting him and his friend be on their way.

Hitting the streets allowed the demi-Saiyan time to adjust to his new environment, as well as become acquainted to one of the many civilizations making up this strange ocean world. Admiring the various stalls, restaurants, hotels and shops lining the streets, and the people filling them, Gohan could say without hesitation that he liked what he was seeing. Aside from the gang of pirates, everyone he'd run into so far had been friendly and helpful. Even the small squad of marines they bumped into along one of the market streets seemed like a decent group of men.

So far _Kyon Island_ was starting to look like the ideal vacation spot. But of course, Gohan knew there were many more nations out there just waiting to be visited and made a mental note to prepare himself for future things to come. For now, he just wanted to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the port town he and Rebecca had arrived at, and perhaps indulge in some well-earned normal-time.

Since he was in an area that didn't consist of dense jungle, rocky cliffs and swarms of mosquitoes, his first instinct after having a quick survey of the neighborhood was to find a salon to tidy up.

Sure enough, he and Rebecca happened across one sitting between several outlet stores, just across from the local market area. When the two entered the three-story, upper-class establishment and asked for a full makeover at the front desk, they were quickly flocked too by the incredibly flamboyant, eager and colorful employees inside, who wasted no time in assigning both of them to a private booth for some much needed pampering.

Rebecca got the royal treatment; a scrub down in a hot bath, followed by a manicure, pedicure and a top of the line skin treatment, before finishing up with an hour long hair appointment. Not wanting to part too much from her current look, the princess had the female professional working on her to take a little bit off the top and leave her signature pony tail to style in her own time. When her session was finally over, not only did she look brand spanking new, but completely rested, refreshed and rejuvenated.

After waiting in the downstairs lobby for a few minutes chatting with the clerk and learning a little bit about the island, Rebecca then saw Gohan exit… and oh, did she get one hell of a surprise.

When the demi-Saiyan started this journey with her, his overall appearance was that of a person who'd spent a great portion of their life stuck in the magical board game of Jumanji. Wild, unkempt long hair, broad shoulders, muscular build, the illusion of a five o'clock shadow building underneath his chin, ragged clothing, dirty fingernails… pretty much all of these traits belonged to a man who didn't care about his looks and spent a lot of time away from civilization. Granted Rebecca found this look charming in its own right, to the ordinary person on the street, it definitely made a few members of the crowd steer clear of the shaggy, intimidating looking Saiyan.

But after the men and women in the salon were done with him, Gohan looked like a completely different person. His hair had all been chopped off, leaving him with a head of short, spiky locks that seemed to defy gravity, with two bangs hanging in front of his forehead. This style did well in showing off his thick neck and shoulder line, emphasizing his handsome visage. He'd also had a really long bath, giving him a cleaner, fresher look that was the total opposite to how he had been when Rebecca first met him.

The people of the salon had also kindly given him a couple pieces of new clothing, a baggy white shirt with frill cuffs that screamed pirate, black, trim pants leading down to his martial arts boots, and a blue obi holding it at his waist. Both items accentuated his strong form and muscular physique, with the deep v-neck cut in his top showing an eye-catching amount of chest.

To the men, he looked like the very being they wanted to aspire towards. To the women, he looked damn near irresistible, as indicated by the love-heart eyes throbbing in the nearby group of maids as he marched down the stairs.

"Thanks a lot," Gohan said while waving back to the men and women who'd tended to him in the booths. Receiving an incredibly positive response in return, the Saiyan then turned his gaze to Rebecca, who he failed to notice was currently gaping at him. "Man. That spa and foot treatment with the fish was definitely worth the extra expense. It feels like seven years worth of dust, sweat and stress has been lifted from my body."

Rebecca felt her heart hammer against her chest and her face heat up when the boy stopped two feet in front of her. She gulped when her eyes trailed up his chest to his face. "D-Did you have fun in there, Gohan-kun?" Damn it. Why did she just stammer like that?

That must have sounded so stupid.

Thankfully Gohan didn't seem to take notice of this and grinned, "Oh, yeah. Definitely. I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed." He then chuckled as he ran his hand over his head, feeling his spiky locks flow between his fingers, "These guys were awesome. They knew exactly what I wanted to have done and what I needed without even needing to tell them anything. How do I look?"

The princess wanted to shout that he looked incredible. However, knowing that wouldn't be very lady-like or appropriate, Rebecca sucked it up and responded as calmly as she could. "It looks great. You should keep it."

"Thanks. I think I will." Beaming with positivity and self-assurance, the demi-Saiyan then gestured to the girl's revitalized appearance and trim. "You look amazing too. I love what they did with your hair." Earning an even deeper blush from the girl and a series of impressed nods from the men posted nearby, Gohan then threw the cape he had on his arm over his shoulder and grinned. "How about we head out to find some clothes to match?" Without even needing to think about it, Rebecca accepted his offer gladly.

Satisfied, Gohan and his student bid one last thank you and farewell to the men and women who'd helped them. Upon which they left the shop and began exploring the winding streets of Kyon Island's main port town.

The two of them spent the next few hours bouncing from store to store, checking out clothes and accessories that would be best suited for their journey across the high seas. On the advice of Rebecca, Gohan went for clothing that would serve him well in both the hot and cold climates, as the constantly shifting weather patterns on the Grand Line would prove to be just as much of a nemesis as any foe they were likely to encounter on their trip. Not at all disputing the girl's judgment on that one, as he too wasn't that fond of the cold either, Gohan made sure to grab the best quality jackets, scarves, gloves and coats he could afford, while making a point to study and replicate them for future usage.

This being a more tepid region of the four seas, complete with warm and sweltering climates, the most important uniform the young Saiyan wanted to get his hands on was one that was ideal for the tropics.

The pair quickly happened upon a store that specialized in selling clothing of this variety. After a long peruse of the multiple swimming and sailing items on sale, Gohan grabbed a tight, long-sleeve black shirt, which hugged his muscular upper body, and a pair of loose-fitted white pants held up by an orange obi, with black and white martial arts shoes. He wanted to go for something that was functional and unique, and could give him the flexibility he needed to fight and alternate his training, which is why he picked this one. He also added a long white scarf, which could double as a temporary hood or turban if it was required.

When he stepped out of the change room, his uniform definitely turned a few heads with the ladies in the store, particularly Rebecca, who for some reason could not stop staring at his deltoids and stomach as he checked himself out in the mirror.

Speaking of the princess, when not ogling over Gohan's appearance, she too was looking for something that suited her needs. At this stage, she figured anything would do as long as it wasn't dirty, beige, or anything at all related to that grungy shirt those Krieg Pirates had made her wear when she'd been their prisoner. However, instead of simply going for an outfit that was perfect for the weather, light, and easy to move around in, she wanted to go for one that was eye-catching and could get Gohan's attention.

You know… in big crowds… so she couldn't get lost and all.

Which was why when Rebecca stepped out of the change room after the Saiyan's round of tryouts, Gohan couldn't help but gape in shock when he saw the girl emerge in a revealing purple and yellow patterned bikini halter top and bottoms, the latter of which was covered by a pair of low riding, blue jean shorts that exposed a bit of her hip and rear, with shin high brown boots and long, brown leather gloves then went right up to her elbows. She also had a utility belt worn around her waist and hung loosely from her hip, with a pouch on the right-hand side to hold supplies.

It took a moment for Gohan to come around from the astonishment he received at seeing the formerly timid young girl emerge in such a revealing uniform, as she looked absolutely gorgeous in it.

When Rebecca noticed the boy's eyes on her, she took a moment to pose next to her change room door, with her hands behind her back and a warm smile plastered on her face. "What do you think, Gohan-kun? Is this outfit alright?"

Clearing his throat, the Saiyan smiled nervously. "I-It's great, Rebecca. But… are you sure this is something you want to wear regularly?" A short dress he could understand, but this? "It's… uhh… not too _breezy_ for you, is it?"

The girl nodded, her eyes twinkling with triumph as she could see how much of an effect she was immediately having on her teacher. "No. It's perfect," she replied assertively, before then tugging at her top, which had Gohan's face turn a little more red at how it influenced her chest. "With the weather being mostly hot and humid, this'll be great for moving in and around the ship. Plus I can wear all of this underneath my gi when I'm training, so when I'm finished I can simply take it off and go out."

She did have a bit of a point. As trendy as the orange and blue gi could be, it wasn't like Rebecca was planning on wearing it every day. Having something like this, which could function as both regular clothing and swimming wear, was pretty ideal for the environment they were in.

So, tossing aside whatever doubts he had in his mind, the still stuttering Gohan gulped and mustered up whatever confidence he had left to respond. "Okay then. If that's what you want, then you can get it." Turning to head to the register with her, the Saiyan then stopped for a moment and took one last, furtive look back at the beaming girl. "Th-Those clothes really do look good on you."

Rebecca was literally doing summersaults inside her head, as she knew she had without doubt hit the mark with this choice of costume. As a warrior in training, she firmly believed that positive feedback was essential for mental development and, given her current situation, she needed it more than ever.

Not to mention she was with Gohan, someone who she admired more than anyone she'd ever met, so there was also that. As long as she had _his_ approval, then she had no regrets whatsoever.

When the pair returned to the streets, clad in their new uniforms, both of them immediately had the eyes of everyone glued to them. Everywhere they walked men and women of various age groups were staring at them, wondering who these two youngsters were and commenting on how attractive they looked. Needless to say, being similar in personalities and character, both Gohan and Rebecca couldn't help but blush at some of the flattering remarks that flew their way.

When evening came, the two young adults took their venture off the streets and into a hotel, where the pair rented out a good place with two large beds and a bath. They also had a big dinner, with Gohan ordering several courses of food to satisfy his enormous Saiyan appetite, which Rebecca found astonishing that he could eat so much.

On the ship he was relatively tame when it came to food, but when presented with an all you can eat buffet, he just would not stop.

Of course, this was not the first time he'd surprised her, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last…

XXX

(A couple days later)

After being away from civilization for so long, Gohan opted to stick around and stay on the island for a little while longer, not just out of wanting to get back in touch with his social side, but also so that he could dig up some more information about this world.

 _Kyon Island_ presented the demi-Saiyan with the perfect opportunity to do some researching and, since he came from a strong academic background, he knew he was the perfect candidate for the job.

Both he and Rebecca visited a fair few places over the course of their stay on the island, jumping from book shops, to travel agencies to even the local taverns, all in order to get a lay of the ocean and the multiple landmasses making up the greater world. Because it was such a densely populated town playing host to a variety of different people, including merchants, marines, travelers, and craftsmen, the place also seemed like a slice of civilization that would prove to be quite invaluable to their cause.

On their most recent outing, Gohan and Rebecca found themselves walking down the main market, looking for a place to stop and eat. At the same time, the pair talked about the stuff they'd already been able to find out.

Looking down at the newly purchased notebook in his right hand and scanning the various paragraphs and sketches, Gohan then glanced at the accessory in his left hand, which was a watch-like device with a glass orb sitting in a cap and a needle suspended in its center, pointing in a random direction.

Chuckling as he inspected the piece of hardware, Gohan then looked across at Rebecca, who was also admiring the drawings in his diary. "I didn't know navigating your part of the ocean could be so damn difficult," the Saiyan remarked after rereading the information he'd been able to collect.

Rebecca, once again adorned in a heavier orange and blue training gi at her request, shrugged back at her teacher with an agreeable smile, "It's perilous even for the most experienced of sailors. Many who've attempted to reach the New World and the kingdom of Dressrosa have tried and failed hundreds of times, simply because the weather around the islands are too unpredictable. The only ships I know of who've successfully made it around that region are the vessels of the marines, the ruling pirates, and the local merchants, all three of whom are used to the violently shifting climates."

"Yeah. And then there's _this_ thing," Gohan added while holding up the compass-looking piece in the air. "According to the guys at the marina headquarters, the only safe way for us to navigate around the Paradise part of the Grand Line is to use this Log Pose to get us from point A to point B, with point B being the path that'll inevitably lead us to the New World." The only downside to this was that the men working at the shop had no idea how to safely get onto the Grand Line, proving how far flung they were from the trackless ocean. The Saiyan then looked down at the device in a rather confused manner. "Even after reading about it, I'm still having trouble understanding all the details behind this funky watch."

"Since you can't navigate across the Grand Line using the magnetic poles of the planet, you have to rely on the individual polarities of the corresponding islands to find your way around the ocean," Rebecca giggled, finding the Saiyan's reference to the device quite amusing. "Since the regions constituting the Grand Line are so geologically and atmospherically volatile, it makes conventional navigation by both the stars and planetary orientation impossible. So the sailors traversing these waters designed the Log Poses to assist them in finding their bearings by using the known islands as waypoints for each leg of their journey."

Gohan grinned at the young girl's breakdown of the Grand Line. "You really know a lot about this stuff, don't you?" When he saw Rebecca blush at his compliment, the Saiyan once again looked down at the Log Pose in his hand. "Still, this doesn't change the fact that getting around this planet can be a real pain in the ass."

"Many would agree with you on that," the princess sighed, placing her hands behind her back thoughtfully. "I most certainly do."

Shutting his journal and placing it and the Log Pose he'd acquired into his pocket, the Saiyan then gestured towards a nearby café. "Why don't we take a break from all of this nautical stuff and go have a coffee? Talk about something both of us can enjoy?"

Approving of his idea, Rebecca followed the demi-Saiyan into the establishment, where the pair found a seat on a balcony outside. Here, not only did they get a fantastic view of the town and harbor, but were also able to indulge in some of the finest delicacies this part of the East Blue had to offer. Frankly, they couldn't have done any better.

While they were sitting up on the third floor terrace overlooking the colony, the pair suddenly became aware of a commotion going on down in the streets below and glanced over the side to see what was going happening. The sound of screams and gunfire floated up to them as further down the market road, they saw dozens of stalls and tables being thrown into the air, as building by building the anomaly approached them.

Seconds later, an average sized male barreled out of the bizarre and came to a grinding halt directly underneath the three-story café. Wearing typical pirate clothing, consisting of brown boots, gloves, red pants, a sash and a white shirt, this particular individual also sported a thick, brown cloak with a hood, as well as bandoleers full of ammunition. Lagging an enormous rifle on his back and a pair of duel pistols, the bald, bearded, scar-faced individual with metal in his teeth ground his jaw irritably as he glared down the semi-ruined boulevard he'd come from, where he quickly spotted two armed men charging after him.

Skidding to a stop in front of the heavily cloaked crook, the pair of swordsmen made their presence known to the townsfolk in the area. The first one was a male of average height with short black hair, thin sunglasses, a purple T-shirt with a blue hooded jacket, and white pants. The second sword user, his partner, was also a male of average height with strange red headgear, a black shirt, a green trench coat, and a pair of yellow checkered shorts. Both of them were armed with large, cleaver-like blades resembling dadaos, which they were pointing at their hooded quarry.

Clicking his tongue, the annoyed gunman threw his cloak back and unveiled a large flintlock with six barrels, which he held out to his side with his left hand. "Damn it. Can't you two morons take a hint?" He then pulled back on the firing pin, "Or do you need me to keep shooting at you before you decide to leave me alone?"

Despite actually being the ones chasing the bald antagonist, both swordsmen were sweating bullets and trembling from head to toe, as indicated by the sounds of rattling metal.

"H-Hey, Johnny," the man in the trench coat stammered in a quiet voice.

"Yeah, buddy?" the glasses-wearing bounty hunter answered.

The man swallowed deeply. "You don't think we bit off a little more than we can chew with this guy? H-He seems pretty angry."

The swordsman identified as Johnny laughed nervously. "What? Naaah. We're fine. Trust me. If Zoro-aniki can take someone like this down, who's to say that we can't either?" Despite his words and assertiveness, the tone he spoke with didn't hold any confidence in their situation whatsoever.

Grasping at whatever semblance of assurance that he could, the man in green then put on a semi-brave grin, "Yeah. Y-You're right. No matter how many obstacles and challenges are standing in his way, Zoro-aniki never backs down. He beats them all and keeps moving forward." He then brought his sword back and braced himself. "Besides… there's _two_ of us and only _one_ of him."

Nodding affirmatively, Johnny then widened his stance and tightened his grip on his sword, "Let's do this, Yosaku!" He then took off, running straight towards their target at full speed.

"Right behind yah, Johnny!" Yosaku shouted, following his friend headlong into battle.

As the two swordsman barreled towards their prey, yelling at the top of their lungs with the best war cries they could muster, the bald gunman sneered menacingly. "I can't believe this. You two must be the most brain-dead bounty hunters I've ever met!" He then swiftly brought up his six-barreled flintlock and took aim at the lead runner. "DIE!" The gun fired with a loud bang, sending six rounds flying at Johnny in one go.

Reacting quickly, the swordsman with the sunglasses ducked to avoid the blast, which instantly took out a massive chunk of wall behind him. Continuing to run, Johnny then lunged at the man with an upward swing, only to watch his target block it with the side of his pepperbox handgun. The instant the sword clanged uselessly against the barrels of the large firearm, the hunter was then decked across the face by the guy's fist, sending the hapless swordsman into the floor.

The cloaked gunman then turned his attention to Yosaku, who came rushing at him with an overhead strike. Without hesitating for even a second, the mercenary stepped forward and dropped a kick into the man's chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending the poor bloke tumbling back down the road.

With both attackers down and struggling to get back up, the heavily armed individual brought his pistol around and shoved a new set of rounds into the gun with a speed loader. Upon which he cocked his pistol and prepared to take aim at a frustrated and bleeding Yosaku. "You're mine, fool!"

Just as the young swordsman was making a grab for his fallen weapon and Johnny was in the process of picking himself up, the gunman was caught completely off guard when a figure suddenly dropped down from the sky and smashed his flintlock out of his hand with a stick. When his weapon clattered to the other side of the cobblestone floor, the hooded figure's eyes snapped sharply to his left to see a girl in orange and blue and wielding a Bo staff glaring right back at him.

"Don't even think about it," Rebecca barked as she set herself into a defensive stance.

Snarling, the bald shooter reached across his belt and drew a second six-barreled pistol from his side holster. "You wench! Get lost!" Loading it at the same time he drew, the crook was unable to get a bead on the girl when Rebecca suddenly spun around and smacked the pistol out of his grip with her stick, before performing another speedy turn and knocking the man's leg out from under him, dropping him onto his back.

The harsh fall didn't stop the gunman however, as the mercenary suddenly reached behind him and drew an enormous machete from his belt, which he used to lash out at his new attacker. Rebecca saw the strike coming from a mile away and quickly performed a back flip to avoid the deceptively long blade. As soon as she landed, the princess saw her opponent kip back up and, swinging his serrated weapon over his shoulder, prepared to launch himself at his pink haired foe.

"You shouldn't have interfered. I'll cut you to ribbons, girl!" the bald man barked, only to stop dead in his tracks when he felt his weapon snag onto something solid. When he looked over his shoulder to see why his arm had stopped, he balked when he saw a spiky haired young man in a tight black shirt standing directly behind him, holding his blade between his thumb and forefingers.

Johnny and Yosaku, both of whom were now on their knees, could only blink in surprise and confusion at the appearance of the two strangers.

Giving the gunman a good-natured smile, Gohan tilted his head. "Careful. You can really hurt someone with this." He then applied pressure with his fingers and snapped the blade in two.

Yelping in alarm at seeing his weapon shatter like glass, the gunman jumped away to a safe distance, quickly finding himself cornered on both sides by Rebecca and this new and incredibly strong adversary. "What the hell? Where the fuck did you two come from?"

Walking around till he was standing in front of his opponent, Gohan then pointed at the balcony overhead. "Oh. From up there." When he saw the man's glare harden, the hybrid shrugged. "We were actually enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee and a sundae until you three appeared and started shooting up the place. From all the screaming that was going on, I can only assume that those two over there are bounty hunters and you're some wannabe hotshot criminal that they're after." He then spared a glance at the swordsman standing behind Rebecca defensively. "Am I right?"

When the two men nodded dumbly, the bald shooter scoffed and took a stance. "I guess it doesn't matter one way or the other who you are. If you think I'm going to come quietly just because there're now four of you morons, you're sadly mistaken!" He then tossed his broken blade and speedily drew the rifle from his back, cocked it, and took aim at the demi-Saiyan. "Eat this!"

Johnny, Yosaku and Rebecca all panicked when the gunman opened fire on the unsuspecting Gohan from only five feet away, with the princess crying out her friend's name in terror. The mercenary just _unloaded_ on the boy without hesitation or remorse, showing how desperate he was to escape.

However, as the gun continued to blast away for the next several seconds, the trio's fright quickly transformed into utter bewilderment when they saw Gohan simply stand there with his hand in his pocket and an impassive look on his face, as every single bullet that was fired at him bounced off of his body harmlessly. Sparks flew as the projectiles that wound up hitting him cascaded to the floor uselessly, with the demi-Saiyan just letting the guy do his thing while casually checking the non-existent watch on his wrist.

By the time the rifle clicked over to empty, every single person on the street, including the gunman himself, were gaping at the still-standing Son Gohan in astonishment, unable to believe what they'd just witnessed.

While everyone was trying to figure out how the hell the young man had managed to survive a hail of gunfire at damn near pointblank range, Gohan reached up and unceremoniously dusted off his shirt. "Alright. Sweet. Yeah, that was fun." He then shrugged glibly at the gaping shooter with the most calm expression in play, "Sorry you wasted your clip. Now I'm going to beat your bald ass. Come here." The Saiyan then waved the guy over and walked towards him.

Trembling with fear, the hooded crook dropped his empty weapon and backed away. "W-What the hell are you? Some kind of monster?"

"Nope," Gohan answered as he closed the last few feet between them, "Just a really strong guy."

Gritting his teeth, the bald shooter let out a courageous scream and rushed at him with a haymaker, his knuckles striking Gohan in the face with a loud crunch. That 'crunch' turned out to be every bone in the man's hand and fingers breaking, causing the guy to clutch his wrist and cry out in pain. After which the demi-Saiyan then carelessly raised both his hands and gave the guy three flicks to the face in a left-right-left combo. His fingers smashed into the guy's mug with the force of three one-thousand pound punches, with the last one knocking the guy flying off his feet and into the wall behind him, which cracked under the impact. When the gunman's body crumpled to the floor, his face was all beaten and swollen, with his eyes completely glazed over, indicating he'd been knocked out cold.

After looking down and making sure the guy was still alive, Gohan then turned to smile at Rebecca, who he found was watching him with interest, while the two swordsmen flanking her were still gaping in shock. Ignoring both Johnny and Yosaku's flabbergasted expressions, the young Saiyan grinned.

"So? Victory lunch?"

OOO

Unfortunately, his victory lunch didn't come as immediately afterwards as Gohan had originally hoped. Instead, what he got following his battle with the heavily armed mercenary was all the people in the neighborhood coming up to him, asking if he was okay, and thanking him for bringing down the dangerous and unruly criminal. After humbly accepting their words of praise and gratitude with a bashful smile and a warm handshake, the demi-Saiyan along with Rebecca helped the two swordsmen carry the unconscious crook over to the bounty station. When they dumped the guy at the reception area and collected the beli they'd put out for him, the four young adults then left the facility with a spring in their step and money in their pockets.

Well, not _all_ of their pockets, as Gohan had generously given the full sum of the man's bounty to the two hunters who'd been stuck chasing the guy. It was a kind and noble gesture, for sure, but it was one that Johnny and Yosaku weren't so keen on taking so readily.

"We can't accept this, Gohan-san. This is… this is honestly too much," Johnny said, while holding out some of the wads of beli they'd gotten from the Saiyan as the four fighters walked down the street side-by-side.

"You and your friend are the ones that defeated that gun toting bastard in the first place, so you two should be the ones to get the bounty, not us," Yosaku added, while also thrusting the money towards the teen. "Here. You can have my share."

Leaning away from the beli being held up to his face, Gohan lifted a hand and pushed it back towards the fighter with the red headgear. "Hey. I told you guys, it's alright." When he did, the Saiyan stopped in his tracks and turned to face the nervous bounty hunters properly. "You were the ones that were chasing that idiot around town for the entire morning and trying to bring him down. That makes him _your_ mark, not ours."

Nodding in agreement, Rebecca stepped around to smile at the anxious young men, "Gohan-kun and I just happened to be watching from the nearby building. When we saw you in trouble, we just decided to drop in and give you a hand."

"That's all there is to it. There's no need to thank us," Gohan concluded with a smile, "We only did what we thought was right."

After hearing what they had to say, the two awe-struck swordsmen then shared another look with each other. Upon which they lowered their money and pocketed it, before Johnny stepped forward and gripped the handle of his sword with a smile on his face. "Well, if you won't take our beli, then at least let us accompany you and your girlfriend until we find a way to pay you back properly." His little reference to Rebecca actually put a blush on the girl's cheeks and prompted her to shake her head to rid herself of her embarrassment.

The other hunter nodded enthusiastically. "You brought down our target and saved our lives. For that, you have our swords," Yosaku concluded, trying to sound as cool as his best mate. They were actually rather successful in that respect.

Considering their words for a moment and figuring that blowing them off wouldn't be the right thing to do after their ordeal, Gohan then nodded approvingly. "Sure. I guess you guys can tag along. In a world as big as this one, it's always good to have one or two friends to look out for and watch your back." Sharing a smile with Rebecca, the demi-Saiyan placed a hand on his hip and gestured towards the two bounty hunters. "My name's Gohan."

"And I'm Rebecca," the princess said, giving a courteous bow to the two men. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Tipping his metaphorical hat, the man in the sunglasses returned the girl's greeting with one of his own. "My friends call me Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku," the other one spoke, at the same time sticking his head up proudly, "The all-powerful and undefeated Yosaku of the high seas!"

Eyebrow twitching, Johnny spun around and took a swing at his head. "Oi! I was going to say that! Don't just jump in while I'm talking and steal my thunder!"

"Well, you were taking too damn long!" the man in the trench coat shot back, ramming his forehead into his companion's. "Besides, why do _you_ always have to take the good intros? Why can't _I_ have a cool line for once?"

"Because you suck at them! That's why!" Johnny shouted.

"Do you want to fight me?!" Yosaku growled, reaching for his sword, "Huh? Well bring it on, pal!"

"You first!"

While Johnny and Yosaku pushed their foreheads into each other and started growling like a pair of angry bulldogs, a keenly observing Gohan and Rebecca couldn't help but laugh a little at their little display. Despite the fact that they were throwing threats and insults at one another, they could tell the bounty hunters were best friends. Bickering back and forth was probably just one of those rituals they did on a regular basis, as what comrades often did in times of leisure.

Deciding to speak up before the two really started trying to kill each other, Gohan then stepped into the spotlight. "Since we're going to be hanging out for a while, why don't we go grab something to eat?" This quickly got Johnny and Yosaku's attention, stopping them dead and bringing them back into states of normalcy. "We were thinking of just hanging around this island for one more night. After that, the two of us will be heading out to another island to find a safe route to the starting point of the Grand Line."

Johnny balked in surprise, "You two are heading for the Grand Line?"

"Isn't that place supposed to be, like, super dangerous or something?" Yosaku also asked, finding their future plan of travel to be quite perilous.

"Yep," Gohan answered with an excited grin, "That's what I was told. And not only do we have a safe way of navigating that part of the ocean and a person who's actually lived on the Grand Line for a number of years…" He quickly pointed towards Rebecca, who gave a cheerful wave to the duo when they glanced in her general direction, "but we also have a bad-ass ship to get us there."

XXX

(The next morning)

Correction: _had_ a bad-ass ship. Past tense.

The answer as to why was actually quite simple.

After spending another night at their hotel, with Johnny and Yosaku crashing in one of the lower rent rooms for the duration, the four of them then got up and had a big serving of breakfast. After Gohan pretty much cleared out the entire kitchen's stock for the ninth time in a row, the group then followed up on the Saiyan's plan to take his boat and head for the next island. Hopefully while there, they would be able to find some more information pertaining to a safe passage to the paradise portion of the Grand Line.

Information that was apparently really hard to come by this far out on the East Blue. Sure, they could purchase a Log Pose, but every other bit of information was a very closely guarded secret or a relatively unknown element.

The entire group was all set for a smooth and pleasant trip to the next port. However, when the four intrepid young adults finally arrived at the dock where Gohan had anchored his vessel earlier that week, they found not only a complete absence of the ropes used to tie the ship to the pier, but the entire ship itself.

While Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku stared across the harbor and out into the open ocean through the empty space at the end of the jetty, an utterly confused Gohan stood on the very edge of the wharf waving his hands out in front of him, as if trying to touch something that just wasn't there. Upon finding and feeling nothing, he then turned around with an alarmed look in play.

All things considered, it was kind of hilarious.

"Wh-Where's my ship?" he asked in utter bewilderment.

"What ship are you talking about, Gohan-aniki?" Yosaku asked, tilting his head at the Saiyan in confusion.

"My ship. _Our_ ship. Our big, beautiful ship, which was sitting right _here_!" the Saiyan pointed at the spot where the former brigantine vessel had been parked, before turning to look frantically across the harbor. "It… It's gone!"

Rebecca, looking around the place as well, then stepped towards the boy in concern, "M-Maybe we tied it up on a different pier?"

"No. I'm… I'm pretty sure this is the right one. It has to be," Gohan said as his brain attempted to comprehend his current situation. Ships didn't just move on their own. It was only logical. That meant something must have happened to it while they were gone. He then looked over the side and into the shallow waters, "Where did it go? Did it sink?"

Since they were standing above water that was pretty much ten feet deep, the three people behind the Saiyan guessed that it probably hadn't, otherwise they would be able to see the masts of it sticking up in front of them. So that quickly ruled out that possibility.

"It couldn't have gone too far. Maybe the people working here relocated it," Rebecca suggested, looking behind her and quickly spotting a dock foreman overseeing the unloading of some crates from a nearby merchant vessel. The princess swiftly approached him. "Excuse me, sir? Could you help us?"

The large, muscular man with a square chin, bushy eyebrows and clad in a marine uniform, turned to the girl with a warm smile, "Yes. What can I do for you, young lady?"

Rebecca then pointed to the end of the pier they were standing on, "My friend and I anchored a ship at the end of this dock a few days ago; a large brigantine vessel with two masts, patched sails and iron plates along the hull." When Gohan, Johnny and Yosaku approached, the girl continued. "Did the foreman in charge at the time happen to move it while it was stationed here?"

The current dock overseer blinked in confusion, "I'm not sure. Who was the officer that you spoke with?"

"We didn't get a name. But the man that we met was an incredibly feminine and slim looking man, with orange hair and a big mustache."

Scratching his chin as he thought on it for a moment, the large bloke in the uniform shook his head. "I'm sorry, but there is no person at the office or on the roster that matches that description. You probably left your ship in the care of a local merchant or fisherman… or a complete stranger impersonating a dock worker." He then nodded to the three men standing behind Rebecca sadly, "My apologies. I have to get back to work now."

"A-Alright," Rebecca gulped before smiling weakly, "Thank you." When she received a bow from the foreman and watched him turn back to counting crates, the princess slowly turned to face her companions. While Johnny and Yosaku were facing her with vested interest, Gohan had a completely blank expression in play, giving the teen a rather unsettling appearance. "Well… I think we now know what happened to our ship."

At first none of the men said or did anything, with the two bounty hunters looking to see how Gohan would react. He seemed to be taking the news rather well. That was until they suddenly saw the Saiyan do a perfect about-face and walk towards a group of nearby barrels. Stopping in front of one, the hybrid popped open the top to reveal it was filled with water and pickles. After which he then gripped the sides of the container and, without another word, dunked his head into it.

For the next few seconds Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku watched in confusion as Gohan kept his head submerged. However, when three minutes passed and they realized he wasn't coming up, the three panicked and rushed over, where it took the combined efforts of all of them to yank the boy's head out of the barrel.

"Gohan-kun!" Rebecca shouted.

"Gohan-aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku also yelled in unison

When the Saiyan's head popped out, not only was he soaking wet, but he also had two pickles sitting in his eyes, as if they were a perfect fit for his face. Yosaku smacked the back of Gohan's head, dislodging the vegetables and dropping them back into the barrel, after which the spiky haired warrior opened his mouth and screamed, causing his three companions to jump.

Yep. He was taking this situation _very_ well.

"This is a dream. A horrible, horrible dream," Gohan mumbled incessantly, before turning to a relieved Rebecca with tears and misery in his eyes. "My ship was stolen. Stolen from right out under me."

"It's okay, Gohan-kun," Rebecca assured the young male, trying to brush the water off of his now sodden head and shoulders. "It's not the end of the world."

"People lose a lot of things," Gohan groaned, shaking his head slowly. "Keys, jewelry, papers, clothing, coins, wallets… I managed to lose an entire boat." That was like… the equivalent of losing an entire house… only someone had managed to rip it out of the ground and ride it off into the sunset, furniture and all.

He was willing to bet a thousand beli that the person who ended up stealing his ship was probably joyriding in it as they spoke.

It took a while for Gohan's brain to finish processing the full weight and magnitude of what'd just happened. But after a few reassuring pats on the back from Johnny and a long, much-needed hug from Rebecca, the demi-Saiyan was soon able to return to the present and steady himself on his own two feet.

"Okay. I'm alright now." Taking a deep breath, the spiky haired young man then patted the side of his obi, where he felt his capsule of cash and food sitting comfortably. A smile broke out on his face in realization, "Good thing we didn't leave anything valuable on that ship, otherwise we would be in a lot more trouble than we already are."

Beaming brightly at seeing her friend finally recover, Rebecca then had a long glance around the harbor. "So what do we do now?" As far as she knew, they were stuck here until further notice. Even though they wanted to move along to the next island, with no ship or any other means of transport to get them there, they were pretty much at a dead end.

Sensing an opportunity to do something right for a change, a confidently grinning Johnny and Yosaku then stepped in front of their two hosts and proudly placed their hands on their hips.

"Not to worry, Gohan-aniki," Yosaku assured brightly.

"If you're looking for a ship, we've got one parked just a few docks away," Johnny informed with a heroic flash of his sunglasses and a quick point in the direction of reference.

Their announcement immediately had Gohan perk up. "Really?"

"Uh-huh. And since you're looking for a boat to get you to the next island, we'll gladly take you there and drop you off ourselves," Yosaku continued, placing a hand over his heart.

"It'll be our honor and privilege as swordsmen," Johnny stated dramatically.

Sharing a grin with an equally jazzed up Rebecca, the excited young Saiyan then turned to the two bounty hunters with enthusiasm and gratitude shining in his eyes once more. "That's awesome, you guys! Thank you!"

OOO

(An hour later)

Gohan's eyebrow twitched as he sat on the edge of the 'ship' that Johnny and Yosaku had so kindly offered to transport him and Rebecca in. Unfortunately, it was not exactly what the two of them had imagined.

"I think I'm going to have to rescind my _thank you_ ," the demi-Saiyan muttered as he glared around the small craft that he and his friend were sitting in, with the princess being pushed up against him due to the limited amount of space.

Not that she was complaining, but it did draw attention to the fact that their spacial arrangement was sort of… lacking.

Imagine a wooden dingy with a tent for a cabin at the rear and a tattered, square sail protruding from the center, which was pretty much the only thing catching the wind and keeping their vessel in motion. The overall size of the boat was adequate for a maximum amount of three people for long distance travel, which meant that the people on board were either hanging precariously off the sides over the water or sitting in a very cramped position inside the craft, with little elbow or breathing room to speak of.

With Johnny steering the dingy and Yosaku sitting up front keeping lookout, this left Gohan and Rebecca sitting on the starboard side and watching with envious expressions as an even larger caravel sailed past them, with the crew walking freely about the deck. Now that they were leaving _Kyon Island_ behind and settling into one of her many trade routes, they were easily able to pick up speed and make good time away from the harbor.

Sadly, the main pair's mood was rather dismal.

"What the heck is this thing?" Rebecca asked, showing that even she was fairly underwhelmed by their current mode of transportation.

"This is our ship," Johnny said with a grin that was completely unwarranted, "We call her the _S.S Kickass_."

At that remark, Rebecca glanced about the floor and interior at her feet, "Ship?"

"Yep," Yosaku replied from his position, banging his hand against the outside showily, "Magnificent, isn't she? The absolute best in her class."

Rebecca and Gohan frowned at the man's classification of the dingy. _"Must be a very low class,"_ they both thought in unison and with deadpanned expressions in play.

After a brief moment of silence, the demi-Saiyan spared a glance at the proud Yosaku next to them, "So you're telling me that you and Johnny have been sailing around the entire East Blue for the last ten months, jumping from island to island, on something resembling a wooden tub?"

The swordsman in question then raised his hands, "Hey, at least it works." Yosaku then stomped his foot into the base of the boat, only for him, Rebecca and Gohan to watch a piece of rotting wood dislodge from the rail and land in front of them.

Staring at it for a moment, the pink haired princess then looked towards the sky in dismay. "We're going to die," she whimpered under her breath.

"How are you two still alive after all this time?" Gohan asked. He was currently at a loss as to how the pair of bounty hunters had actually managed to make it this far on the sea without sinking or dying of dysentery.

Hell, their pantry at the back was stacked full of expired foods, bait and bad fruit. How neither of them had gotten scurvy yet was beyond him.

"Let's just say we're persistent," Johnny said from his spot at the back, steering their boat in the direction they were supposed to be heading. "Yosaku and I don't know when to give up."

"Well… I can definitely agree with you on that," Gohan nodded, giving the vessel one last look over before turning his attention to the helmsman. "However, I'm going to have to be honest with you two, your ship isn't exactly… _extravagant_." Actually, it was neither of the things Yosaku had said it was.

It was _not_ a ship, it was _not_ kickass, it was _not_ magnificent, and it most certainly _didn't_ work.

Inspecting the timber and hull with her fingertips, Rebecca sighed when they pulled away damp, "It's a miracle you two managed to sail for this long. Judging from the state of the wood, you guys would probably end up stranded on some rock in the middle of the ocean in the next month or so after the bottom gives out."

After spending this much time with them and seeing the duo in action firsthand, this was most definitely the case. However, instead of being blunt about it, Gohan and Rebecca chose to express their concerns and thoughts as kindly and gently as they possibly could.

"We're going to need an upgrade when we get to the next island," Gohan said, a comment that Rebecca could wholeheartedly agree with.

Johnny, after one last look around his surroundings, nodded at the demi-Saiyan's suggestion. "Yeah. You're right. I think the old girl here has run its course."

"Where are we headed, anyway?" Yosaku asked, completely forgetting as to where they were going even after being told a few times before their departure.

Pulling out a map from his obi and checking it out with the compass he'd also bought, Gohan quickly scanned the paper. "We're heading for a place called Orange Town. It's about a week's journey away from here." He then groaned when he realized what he'd just said and flopped onto the side, where he swore he felt the wood bend underneath his weight. "A full week of nothing inside of this dingy."

Rebecca also let out a moan of disappointment, as she instantly knew that neither she nor Gohan would be able to do any proper training while they were sitting in this tiny craft. Unless they came across a stretch of stable land or unmarked ground, they were pretty much trapped.

"Ah, don't worry, Gohan-aniki. Rebecca-aneue," Yosaku spoke with a broad and excited grin, "The _S.S Kickass_ will get us there in three days flat! No problem!"

For Gohan and Rebecca, they highly doubted that.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: And on to the main storyline of One Piece, where the entire adventure for everyone pretty much started.

What changes will take place when these guys get there?

So to recap, Gohan is currently getting in touch with the strange new world, Rebecca is now trying to put the moves on him as subtly or straightforward as she can, and the pair meet Johnny and Yosaku ahead of time. Hmm. I wonder what's gonna happen next?


	5. New Blood

**A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _New Blood_

(Two weeks later)

"Land! Thank God!" Gohan shouted as he practically threw himself off of the boat and onto the boardwalk just outside of Orange Town, where he landed face first onto the dirt road. The boy hugged the gravel like it was a long-lost relative, "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Aw, come on, Gohan-aniki. Don't be like that" Yosaku exclaimed, hopping off of the dingy after the Saiyan to tie the small vessel to the shore. When he did, the man in the green trench coat then turned to smile down at the sprawled out Saiyan, "The _S.S Kickass_ wasn't that bad."

"Tell that to my lower back," Rebecca groaned, as she too clambered off of the small craft to face-plant the floor right next to Gohan. A blissful sigh then left her lips when she felt the coarse surface of the road against her cheek. "Oh, sweet ancestors. If I have to sleep in a boat that small again in the next hundred years, I swear it'll be too soon."

"You are my moon and stars, Rebecca," Gohan whispered, smiling at the girl next to him while Johnny and Yosaku looked at the pair in amusement. "You are everything that is good in this world and more. I don't care how I do it; buy, rent, steal, commandeer, build… I promise I will never let you set foot in that tub ever again. You have my word as a fighter and a warrior."

The princess's eyes sparkled at the sincerity and power in the boy's words, "I'll hold you to it, Gohan-kun."

On their journey, their boat hadn't past a single speck of land, meaning they'd been unable to stop to make port anywhere until now. Even Gohan wasn't willing to fly about looking for an island he couldn't see, only to lose his friends in the thick of it.

Shaking his head, Johnny then adjusted the sword at his waist and looked up at the town next to them. After a moment of surveying, the bounty hunter spoke, "I hate to break it to you guys, but I don't think any of us will be finding another boat around here anytime soon."

"Huh? Why not?" Gohan asked, his head perking up with a start.

"It looks like the entire island is deserted," Johnny informed, at the same time gesturing around the harbor. When the other three looked around, they didn't see a single person, animal or stall in sight. The place looked completely and utterly deserted. "Damn. Did everyone in Orange Town suddenly decide to take a vacation or something?"

Yosaku gave a shiver when he felt a cold breeze rush through him. "Ugh. Wow. This place is starting to give me the creeps." His anxiousness was further exemplified by the creaking of a tavern sign several doors down.

Frowning when he also noticed the problem, Gohan stood up and helped Rebecca to her feet. Taking a moment to scan ahead, the teen then discovered signs of life. "No. There are still people here," the Saiyan said, his eyes narrowing as he honed in on over four dozen ki signatures sitting somewhere inside the village.

Johnny glanced across at the male in surprise. "Really? How do you know?"

"I can sense them," the hybrid responded. Though it was difficult given how small their power levels were, when he was this close to them he could get an accurate enough reading. It was after a quick peruse over their numbers he returned with an accurate headcount. "There are about fifty men gathered around the center of town, all of them pretty ordinary…" He then balked at the next bit of feedback he received, "All except for two."

Noticing his surprised exclamation, Rebecca stared at the Saiyan intently, "What do you mean?"

"There are two men in the village that seem human, but... their energy signatures are registering slightly differently than the others… almost like they've been enhanced or something," Gohan murmured, finding this information unusual. From the expressions on Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku's faces, so did they.

They were strong too, much stronger than the average person, but not overly outrageous that Gohan would consider them a threat. Yet their appearance did have the Saiyan do a double take.

Taking in Gohan's observations and processing them, the small group gathered on the harbor front had one last look of the area, before eventually deciding to head into the village to investigate the power sources coming from within. Along the way, they conducted a clean and thorough search of the surrounding suburbs, to see if they could drum up something that could tell them what was going on.

Not in a rush to go anywhere, Gohan, Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku explored the streets high and low, making sure to check every nook and cranny that they passed. They even came across a pet shop with a scruffy little dog with white fur standing guard up front. Curious as to why it was doing that, Gohan tried asking it for directions, but after a few seconds of trying to speak with the stone-faced animal, he soon realized the pup wasn't in the mood for talking and gave up. Upon which the four then headed back into the village to continue searching.

It quickly dawned on the band of teenagers that not only was every single house in the area deserted, but they'd also been left completely untouched.

There was food still on the tables, clothing hanging out to dry, gardens left partially done, and doors and windows left fully unlocked. What's more, there were no signs that any kind of battle or struggle had taken place. Not a scratch, mark or bullet hole in sight.

It was almost like the entire population had been spirited away, like a scene taken straight out of a B-rated horror flick.

After knocking on a random door, Rebecca tried to open it via the handle. When it did, the girl in the orange and blue gi poked her head inside. "Hello? Anyone home?" When she received no response, the princess slowly and awkwardly closed the door. "Of course there isn't. Why would there be?" She then turned to see Gohan calming peering through a window of a house on the other side of the street, whereas Yosaku was hilariously looking inside a trashcan, as if trying to see if someone was inside. Johnny meanwhile was climbing up a nearby ladder to check the surrounding rooftops. "This one's empty too."

A fact that had become apparent to all of them after they'd spent the last several minutes combing through the empty neighborhood.

Setting the lid back down onto the garbage tin, Yosaku scratched his head in confusion. "Where could they have all gone, aniki?" the bounty hunter asked.

"I don't know." Gohan scrunched his face up and looked down the road they were following, "Perhaps when we finally get to the town square we'll be able to get some answers." All of a sudden, a loud 'bang' echoed across the village, which quickly drew the group's eyes towards the clouds above. "Hey. What was that?"

Two seconds later, just as Johnny finally reached the roof, a massive explosion suddenly lit up the western side of town, filling the sky with a blinding flash of light, followed by a fiery cloud of black smoke. The shockwave that followed was tremendous; rattling every single building and structure on the island and sending a hot wave of air blasting in all directions. Poor Johnny was nearly knocked off of the roof under the force of the gale, whereas everybody else except Gohan stumbled about the road when the ground shook violently beneath them.

When the tremors died out seconds later and Johnny looked up to see what'd happened, he saw an entire block of buildings in the distance had been completely annihilated, with a large, smoking crater sitting at the end of them. His glasses slipped down his nose in disbelief, "Whoa. No way."

"What happened?" a stunned Yosaku called up to his teammate.

Looking down, the raven haired man shouted back frantically, "I… I have no idea! It happened so damn fast! There was a flash of light and then BAM!" He swiped his hand across the horizon, "An entire row of buildings was just blown to kingdom come! There's nothing left!"

Rebecca's eyes widened in horror at the news, "Oh no."

Narrowing his eyes, a still calm Gohan panned about and began combing the village with his senses, "That discharge we heard must have come from some kind of cannon… and a really powerful one." The Saiyan then turned to Johnny. "Hey! Can you see any places where a large artillery piece could be mounted… like a fortress or a tall building or something?"

Placing his hand over his eyes, a quick scan of the settlement eventually ended with Johnny pointing in a certain direction. "Yes! Over there! There's a large tavern in the center of town with a big tent set up on the roof next to a flag!" He then squinted to see if he could identify the insignia on the black sheet fluttering in the wind, "It looks like a skull and crossbones, with a big red nose on it-" Just as he was in the process of describing it, the man saw a flash and a puff of smoke come from the building, which had the swordsman stop. "Huh? What the-"

Sensing a disturbance in the wind, Gohan's eyes widened. Acting quickly, the Saiyan shoved Yosaku to the floor, then grabbed Rebecca and turned her towards the wall. "GET DOWN!" The instant he shielded the princess with his body, a series of loud bangs rang out as the houses on the other side of the street went up in a blast of smoke and rubble, followed by a deafening explosion that sent debris flying in all directions.

Johnny screamed as he clung to his roof for dear life, ignoring the tiles and splinters pelting his position. The cataclysm lasted for several terrifying seconds, nearly rocking the neighborhood off of its foundations. When the shockwave finally ebbed moments later, the four young explorers slowly turned around, where they saw another row of buildings had been obliterated, with the path of destruction stretching all the way to the ocean.

Yosaku's eyes bugged out as he stammered fearfully, "Wh-Whoa… that was _way_ too close."

After making sure Rebecca was alright, Gohan then craned his head towards the rooftops, "You okay up there, Johnny?"

The man in sunglasses raised a shaky hand and gave him a thumbs-up, "Y-Yeah. I'm still alive… somehow!"

When the bounty hunter recovered enough to come down, the four warriors walked through the rubble of the ruined suburb. They arrived at the harbor several minutes later, where they not only saw an entire chunk had been taken out of the road that ran alongside the water, but they also saw the remains of what was formerly their dinghy floating about in the waves.

After staring down at the remains of the vessel for several moments and watching the lumber slowly disappear into the shallows, the deadpanned looks on Gohan and Rebecca's faces slowly morphed into expressions of joy. A few seconds later, the two youngsters fell to their knees and cried out to the skies in triumph, like a giant had just been slain by a slingshot.

"Thank the Gods!" Rebecca shouted.

"The nightmare is gone!" Gohan also bellowed, before turning to his number one and wrapping his arms around her in a big hug, which she returned with equal enthusiasm. The pair simultaneously laughed and cried into each other's shoulders.

Johnny and Yosaku meanwhile, being on the other side of the spectrum, collapsed to their knees in despair.

"NOOOOOoooo!" the swordsman in sunglasses cried out overdramatically with anime tears streaming from his eyes.

"S.S. Kickaaaass!" his friend also called out, slamming his fists into the ground defiantly. "Why?! Why?!"

"Damn you!" Johnny continued, grabbing his jacket with both hands as if his heart were being ripped from his chest, "She was still so young! So beautiful!"

Completely ignoring the plight of the two swordsmen, the pink haired princess pulled away from her friend's grip and pointed down at the water, "Burn in hell, devil's steed."

Once all four of them were done laughing joyously and crying tragically respectively, Gohan stood up and turned in the direction the projectile had originated from. "As grateful as I am for that, who the hell keeps shooting those things off? They're destroying the entire island," the Saiyan said, prompting the other three to get to their feet and look where he was directing them.

After several minutes of analyzing the piles of rubble that lay before them and watching all of the dust settle, the group then got a clear view of the large building that Johnny had spotted earlier. Narrowing her eyes on the tavern in the distance, the princess pointed towards it.

"There. The apartment complex," Rebecca stated confidently, as that was the most logical place she could think, "It could be the men responsible for chasing away the people that were living here."

Pushing his glasses back up his nose and wiping his cheeks on the back of his arm, Johnny gave a manly sniff before speaking, "The flag I saw at the top of the building was some kind of pirate flag. Other than the red nose and the Jolly Roger, I couldn't see anything else."

While Rebecca glowered at the idea that it was brigands that were causing so much trouble, Gohan instead murmured thoughtfully, "Pirates, huh? Guess that explains the cannon… and the fact this entire village is deserted."

Adjusting his headgear, Yosaku analyzed the wreckage of the store in front of them before a frown graced his lips. "But what the hell kind of ammunition are they using? I've never seen a gun do so much damage before."

"Well… we won't find out anything by just standing here," Gohan said, cracking his neck before finding his way back into town via one of the adjacent roads. "Come on. Let's go find those guys and say hi."

Nodding in agreement, Johnny quickly fell in step alongside Rebecca and gripped the handle of his sword angrily. "Yeah. Let's." He added to this by drawing his blade from his belt ever so slightly. "And while we're at it, I'm going to find the bastard who thought it was good idea to blow up my ship."

"I'm with you, bro," Yosaku chimed in, holding his sword in a similar manner to his partner. "Let's hunt them down and gut the savages."

While Rebecca and Gohan could sympathize with the pair for losing something so close to them… they didn't. In fact, after the swordsmen declared their intent to avenge their fallen comrade and beat the men responsible for her demise, the Saiyan and princess shared a look with one another before turning away to stifle their snickers and hide the looks of amusement that appeared on their faces.

Hey, even though they didn't care about the boat, they weren't insensitive. If the two bounty hunters wanted revenge, they could have it.

OOO

(Several minutes later)

Arriving in a quiet suburban area on their way to the tavern, Gohan and his troop stopped when they suddenly spotted a rather intriguing sight taking place a couple houses ahead. Initially the crew was expecting to run into some kind of opposition along the way. Perhaps a squad of mercenaries armed to the teeth with guns and swords, or maybe some brigands lugging around a massive artillery piece. However, the teens never expected to find a man with white hair styled into bear ears riding a gigantic lion several times his size, fighting a lanky young male with short black hair and wearing a straw hat.

The battle that occurred was fierce, yet brief.

In a physics defying display of ability, after dodging an attack from the lion the warrior in the straw hat suddenly threw his arms forward, the limbs stretching and coiling around one another to an unbelievable degree. With great speed and dexterity, he managed to catch the lion by the collar and, with a roar of effort, hurled the massive predator over his shoulder.

" _ **Gomu Gomu no Tsuchi!"**_ (Gum Gum Hammer) the boy bellowed, slamming the lion onto its head and shattering the cobblestone floor beneath him. The poor cat actually created a sizable divot in the ground from the force of its impact.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the sight, "Whoa. Nice move." Johnny and Yosaku meanwhile were gob smacked, having never seen a person ever do that before.

The attacker with the impossibly stretchy limbs knelt by the defeated feline, revealing himself to be a young man with short black hair with a scar underneath his eye, wearing a red sailor's vest, blue leather shorts, and sandals.

While his three friends gaped at the amazing display of ability, Gohan couldn't help but smirk, "Say what you will, but that was actually pretty cool." That move he just used reminded him of what Piccolo used to do with his limbs; stretching and extending them to impossible lengths with amazing force.

"RICHIE!" the rider with the teddy-bear style haircut shouted hysterically. After gaping at the sight of his defeated partner, he then shakily pointed at the one he was fighting. "W-What in the world are you?"

The teen in question stood up and dusted off his vest and shorts, "I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi." (Gum Gum Fruit)

His words put an even more fearful look on the lion tamer's face, "You mean… you have Devil Fruit powers? Just like Captain Buggy?" When he saw the kid turn in his direction with a look of pure anger in play, the man gulped and threw his hands up in panic. "O-Okay. I'll surrender peacefully. Please. I'm sorry!"

Expression unchanged, the black haired kid shook his head. "You don't need to apologize, because that dog's treasure is never coming back." His eyes then locked onto the man and narrowed dangerously. "That's why I'm going to kick your ass." Before the lion tamer could even gasp, the rubber boy threw his hands towards him and grabbed the creep by the collar. As soon as he did, the teen reeled him in and, with a fearsome yell, thrust his fist into his face. "This is for Shushu!" His punch smashed the man into the ground with a loud bang, knocking him unconscious.

Gohan whistled, "That was a sweet combo."

"Whoa. Who is that guy?" Johnny asked, completely at awe at what he'd just witnessed.

After taking a moment to get a bead on the teen's ki signature, Gohan tilted his head in surprise, "I think he's one of those two guys I sensed earlier."

Rebecca looked up at her friend, "The ones with the unusual energy?"

"That's right. Huh… so that's why they felt a little strange. They must have powers just like _this_ guy," Gohan said, briefly recalling what Rebecca had said to him about 'Devil Fruits' and combining them with what he was able to pick up from that lion tamer fellow before he was knocked out. So this was what those so-called fruits did to the individuals that ate them? How bizarre. "I have to find out more about those things. Might come in handy for later."

After noticing the rubbery fighter step away from the lion tamer and pick up his straw hat, Yosaku cautiously reached for his sword, "Do you think he's friendly?"

"Not sure. Let's ask him," the Saiyan suggested, walking down the street and towards the spot where the battle had taken place. The other three followed close behind, where they arrived just in time to watch the boy with the unruly black hair pick up a box lying beside the unconscious lion. "Hey there."

Bolting upright, the straw hat wearing teen turned to see four people stop a few feet away from him. "Huh?"

Gohan smiled pleasantly, "That was a pretty awesome fight you had there. You really showed that guy whose boss."

Blinking, the teenager smiled and turned to the stranger with the spiky locks. "Thanks. It was nothing though. They couldn't hurt me even if they tried," the kid responded dismissively, before tilting his head at the newcomers. "Who are you guys? Have we met?"

"No. We just arrived at this island about an hour ago," the Saiyan informed, before placing a hand on his chest, "My name's Gohan." He then held a hand out to the people standing beside him, "The girl next to me is Rebecca and the two swordsmen standing behind her are Johnny and Yosaku." When the trio bowed and waved to the boy in kind, Gohan then gestured to the victorious fighter. "What's your name?"

The kid in the vest grinned and slammed a fist into his chest in a confident manner. "My name's Luffy… and I'm going to become _King of the Pirates_!"

Rebecca blinked in surprise, "King of the Pirates?" She then tilted her head. _"Does he mean like Roger?"_

Finding his introduction gutsy, Gohan's expression changed at the small bit of info he was able to pick up from the kid's greeting. "You wouldn't happen to be part of the crew that destroyed those buildings, would you?" he asked while pointing over his shoulder.

This question immediately had Luffy shake his head. "Nah. That was done by Buggy and his friends."

"Really?" Gohan murmured, before turning his attention to the two individuals the teen had defeated a couple of minutes ago. "So this guy is one of _his_? Like those people over at the tavern?"

Luffy nodded affirmatively and grinned, "Yep. That guy was a jerk. He put me in a cage and threatened to blow me up."

"I see," Gohan replied, before a smile reformed on his lips. "You think you can take us to where he is? A couple of us have some personal business we want to settle with him." When he said this, Johnny and Yosaku readied their swords for action, whereas Rebecca's hand reached for the staff on her back.

Hearing the Saiyan's question put a smile on Luffy's face, before the boy in the straw hat raised the box in his hand. It was at that point the group noticed that it was actually pet food, which drew odd looks from two of them. "Sure. I've just got to do one thing first." Luffy then turned heel and began to walk down the road.

Interested in what the kid was doing, Gohan and the others followed him, keeping pace with the teenager as he made his way through the village streets. About a minute later, they arrived at the same avenue where the shop with the dog standing guard out front was… only the building had been burned to the ground. Surprised at first, the group then watched as Luffy walked over to the spot where a couple other people were stationed.

One of them was an old man with round glasses and wearing a barrel, along with a few other bits-and-bobs for armor, which the four immediately assumed was something he'd just thrown together at the last second. The other person was a young girl with short orange hair, wearing a white and blue striped shirt, an orange short skirt, and high-heeled sandals.

The girl standing in the square with a troubled look on her face immediately had Gohan's attention, as she looked kind of familiar to the keen-eyed Saiyan. Rebecca also stared at the girl for the same reason, only she scowled when she noticed the glow of interest her friend and companion had in the young lady.

Before anyone could say anything, they saw the orange haired teen smirk at the approaching Luffy. "Oh, you're still alive, Mr. Pirate? I thought you would've been finished off by that lion." Her look then transformed into one of anger as she stomped towards the kid in the straw hat, stopping him in his tracks. "You and all other pirates are the same! All you know how to do is destroy and take things from people!" She then suddenly ran at him, screaming in outrage, "I should kill you right now before you can gather a crew and attack other villages!"

She was stopped from assaulting Luffy by the old man, who cut her off and forcefully held her back with his arms. "Please stop, child. There's no need for that."

While Gohan stared at the girl curiously, Luffy chiefly ignored her outburst and simply walked past her. "Do you really think you can kill me?" He added to this by sticking his tongue out at the girl. "Dummy."

"Maybe I'll try and see, then!" the orange haired female barked, struggling to free herself. When she noticed the four people standing a few feet away and staring at her, she quickly turned her anger on them and yelled, "And who the hell are you gawking at? Are you friends of his? Just take him and get the hell out of here!"

Johnny and Yosaku appeared surprised at the girl's sudden outburst, whereas Gohan raised his hands calmly, "Hey, we just got to this island about an hour ago. We have no idea what's going on."

"It's true," Rebecca said, earning nods from the two bounty hunters accompanying them.

"Yeah right," the girl snarled, not believing their answers for a second. "You're all dressed funny and you're all armed with weapons. I bet you're just another group of pirates that's come to rob from these people." She narrowed her eyes on the Saiyan. "Men like you are the worst."

Rebecca frowned at the antagonistic female, not really liking the negative attitude she was showing towards them… especially to her Gohan, "We're not pirates."

"And we don't steal things from people," the young Saiyan replied, before throwing a warm and gentle smile her way. "Honestly, this is all just a big misunderstanding." An interesting thought then crossed the boy's mind as he looked up considerately. "Although… now that you mention it, becoming a swashbuckling pirate was one of the few things I wanted to be when I was a kid." That or a cowboy, though the latter was a bit of a stretch. " _Pirate_ Gohan…" the Saiyan whispered to himself, drawing puzzled glances from the people standing next to him. " _Captain_ Gohan." A grin quickly flashed across his face, "Ooh, I like the sound of that."

The orange haired girl had a tick mark form on her head when she realized the guy wasn't paying attention to her anymore. "Oi! Quit ignoring me, you spiky haired jackass!" Before she could further her rage-out on the newcomers, the sound of something being set down on the floor drew the group's attention over to Luffy.

The six turned to see that the teen in the straw hat had walked over to the little white dog sitting in front of the ruined building and had set the box of food down in front of him. Luffy then grinned and sat down next to the pup. "Sorry. That was all that I could bring back. That stupid lion ate the rest of it."

Seeing the boy's actions immediately had the girl calm down. As she and the old man proceeded to watch Luffy interact with the dog, Gohan and his crew walked over to stand next to them, with the Saiyan taking to the orange haired teen's side.

"I gotta say, he's one selfless guy," Gohan said, drawing the once angry girl's attention up to him. "We watched him fight that lion earlier. At first I figured it was just a territory scuffle or something, but after seeing this… I think I understand why he did all that. Fighting to get back the dog's treasure… comforting him after losing his home… there are only a few people I know who would do something like that. I think that's really cool." He noticed the girl was staring up at him, reflecting an expression of awe and interest. This prompted Gohan to give her his signature family grin. "I'm Son Gohan by the way. Nice to meet you."

Balking slightly at his chipper mood, Nami responded with a nervous smile of her own. "I… I'm Nami." It was then after a few moments of looking at him, the girl blinked in realization. "Hey. Wait. Aren't you the-"

"Huh? What's that?" Gohan asked.

"Oh, n-nothing," the girl blushed and looked away, kicking herself in the shin when she didn't realize earlier who he was. Hell, he'd been hanging out with that pink haired girl when she saw him a couple of weeks ago, but it looks like he'd gotten a serious haircut and a scrub-down since then. Honestly, the makeover was really complimenting for the guy, which partly contributed to Nami's uneasy response to his face. "It's… nice to meet you too."

Ignoring her hasty disengagement and the shade of red that appeared on her cheeks, Gohan turned to watch as Luffy stood up and waved to the dog as the animal walked away with his treasure. When the pup turned and yipped, the kid in the straw hat grinned, "Yeah. Good luck to you as well." It was a response that had everyone smile, both inside and out.

After the dog left, Nami walked over to the straw hat boy, rubbing her arm anxiously. "Sorry for yelling at you like that," the girl apologized with a smile. "I guess I didn't know what kind of a person you really were."

Luffy, dusting his pants down, looked back at the female with a grin, "That's okay. You lost somebody close to you to pirates, so I know you must've been through a lot. You don't need to say anything."

The elderly man standing nearby clenched his fists tightly. After witnessing everything that'd just happened and listening to what everyone had to say, something inside of him finally snapped, and exploded outward with righteous anger. "I can't take this anymore! I feel so pathetic! Shushu and you youngsters are fighting so hard to defend this place, while I, the _mayor_ of this village, can only sit on the sidelines and watch helplessly as our home is destroyed!"

His sudden outburst had Gohan and the others recoil slightly, with Nami moving towards the elder with a concerned look in play. "It's alright, chief. Please calm down."

Clenching his jaw tightly to the point veins started to build around his forehead, the Mayor then turned to the teen with the straw hat. "For a real man, someone who has sworn to protect and serve their people, there are some battles that are impossible to avoid. Isn't that right, boy?"

His question put a wide grin on Luffy's face, "That's right, jiji."

Nami quickly turned to Luffy and shouted, "Don't rile him up! What can he possibly do going off by himself? He'll just get himself hurt."

"Really?" Gohan couldn't help but shrug and smile at the conversation, "I think that's quite admirable." His statement earned two firm nods of unison from Johnny and Yosaku behind him, whereas Rebecca simply beamed with pride.

"Don't you start!" Nami shrieked.

Mayor Boodle then quickly launched into a story of how he and his people built this village from the ground up, and how they worked hard to cultivate it into the rich and thriving town that it was. He then grabbed the spear off of his back and proclaimed that he would take a stand and fight to protect what was theirs, which earned a round of applause from Johnny and Yosaku. That was until another loud bang rang out, followed by an explosion that leveled a group of houses next to them.

The blast wave managed to knock everyone off their feet, sending them tumbling across the pavement with the debris. The only people who managed to hold their ground without flinching were Gohan and Luffy, with the former standing in front of Rebecca and Nami to protect them. When the dust settled, the group saw a massive crater lying in the center of the now thoroughly demolished buildings.

Eyes wide at the sudden artillery bombardment, Gohan then frowned and clenched his teeth. "That's the same cannon that's been destroying those buildings-"

"And our boat!" Johnny roared, kipping up to his feet and grabbing his sword. "Those bastards! Where are they? Wait till I get my hands on them!"

When Luffy looked at the buildings that'd just been leveled, his eyes widened, "GAAAAH! Zoro was sleeping in there!"

"Huh?" Yosaku sat up sharply, blinking in surprise when he heard that name, "Zoro?"

"Zoro-aniki is here?" Johnny asked, also looking surprised.

Nami appeared taken aback at their questions, "You two know that guy?"

"Yeah," Johnny answered, before his head snapped in the direction of the destroyed house, "WAH! You mean he was in _there_?! Zoro-aniki!" Both he and Yosaku then scampered forward and hurriedly started digging through the piles of wood and stone.

At first appearing stunned, Mayor Boodle then gritted his teeth in anger, "Is he dead? The youngster with the waistband?" The last thing he wanted was another good man being killed in this catastrophe.

While Johnny and Yosaku hilariously dug through random piles of crap, as the smoke started to settle around the site, Luffy stepped forward and shouted, "Hey, Zoro! Are you still alive in there?" His question was one of hope and optimism, because if the guy was actually dead there was no way he was going to respond. Even Rebecca and Nami had their doubts that someone would be able to live through a blast like that.

However, much to the group's collective surprise, the sound of a groan quickly answered the boy's call. "Ugh. That was one hell of an alarm clock," a hoarse voice spoke up from underneath a pile of timber. Before Johnny and Yosaku could scramble over to it, they saw the beam of wood get shoved towards them and leapt out of the way, before seeing a young man with moss green, short hair, wearing a white shirt, green obi, black pants, bandages wrapped around his waist, and three katanas at his side sit up.

Nami blinked in astonishment, "He's still alive?" She had to resist the urge to slap herself.

"Damn. To get up after having an entire building dropped on top of him… he must be pretty damn tough," the young Saiyan chuckled, while Rebecca was also staring at the man in bewilderment.

" **Zoro-aniki!"** the two bounty hunters excavating the crash site shouted, at the same time coming to stand on either side of the green haired man, who was currently shaking himself out of his daze.

When he looked up, the man identified as Zoro blinked, "Huh? Johnny? Yosaku? What the hell are you two doing here?" He then noticed Gohan and Rebecca standing out on the street beside Nami and Luffy, "And who are those guys?"

"We sailed here with them," Yosaku answered while pointing across at the pair.

"Gohan-aniki and Rebecca-aneue," Johnny introduced with an enthusiastic grin, "They're friends we met back on Kyon Island. They saved us from getting shot to bits by bounty that we were chasing."

"You should've seen them. They were awesome," his partner followed up without a bit of hesitation. After all, the two of them had saved their lives.

"Uh-huh," Zoro murmured, before nodding in greeting to the newcomers, "Nice to meet you." In return Gohan nodded back, whereas the princess beside him waved cheerfully.

"That does it!" A shout from nearby drew Nami and everyone's attention to Mayor Boodle, whom they could now see was practically frothing at the mouth. "I'm not going to let these pirates trample over us any longer! I am the chief and protector of this island, and I will not let this injustice go on any longer!" He then prepared to storm off, only to be grabbed from behind by Nami and Rebecca.

"Wait, sir," Rebecca exclaimed, ducking when the man's arms flailed about angrily, "Please stop!"

"You can't fight those pirates!" Nami also shouted, "Don't do something so reckless!"

"I'm fully aware that it's reckless!" the man barked, stunning Nami and Rebecca, and causing them to let him go. He then ran off, disappearing down the street and around the furthest corner. "Just you wait, Buggy the Clown! I'm coming for you!" His shout of machismo rang true throughout the village, causing the wind to still and the birds to stop singing, if only for a moment.

After watching the man leave their sight, Gohan looked across at the girls in confusion. When no one did or say anything, he then spoke. "Wait? Did he say Buggy the Clown?" When he saw Nami nod, the young Saiyan then snickered, "Seriously? Is that what the captain of the pirates calls himself? What the hell?"

Also catching onto the mood wafting through the air, Zoro smirked and stood up out of the rubble. Collecting the three swords lying beside him, he then nudged his way past Johnny and Yosaku, both of whom made a space for their friend and idol to move, "I don't know why, but this party is starting to get a little more exciting." His remark drew a giggle from an equally jazzed up Luffy.

Nami meanwhile looked between the two men in disbelief, "How can you two be laughing at a time like this?"

"Don't worry," Luffy chirped, gripping his hand while throwing a smile Nami's way. "I like that old man. I promise I won't let him die. You have my word."

"In that case," Zoro said, wrapping his bandana around his head and smirking devilishly from the shadow it cast over his eyes. "This'll be a good time for me to cut loose and let off some steam."

"You're going too?" Nami asked in bewilderment, at the same time glancing at the man's lower back where the bandages were. It was there she could clearly see blood forming in the gauze, "What about your wound?"

Clacking his swords together in their sheaths, the swordsman chuckled, "Don't worry about it. The injury to my name is much worse than the injury to my gut."

" _Where the heck is all of this confidence coming from?"_ Nami shook her head, looking at the people surrounding her and noticing how switched on all of them was.

"Our destination is the Grand Line," Luffy proclaimed, at the same time looking back at the men and women gathered behind him, including the dumbstruck navigator. "We're going to steal back that map and sail right over there." He then extended a hand towards the latter, who he saw jump back in surprise. "How about you join us, Nami? I'm sure it'll be fun… and you need the treasure too…"

Frowning at the hand being extended towards her, the girl then cracked a smile and slapped it away. "I'm not going to become a pirate. How about we just team up for the time being? You want the map and I want the treasure. I'll cooperate with you until both of us get what we want."

This put a big grin on Luffy's face, "Fair enough." He then turned towards Gohan, whom he saw was listening intently next to Rebecca, with Johnny and Yosaku stretching alongside him. "What about you, new guy? Wanna join us?"

Still grinning in amusement, Gohan chuckled and placed a hand on his hip, "Sure. I'm game. After two weeks of doing nothing but meditating, I could use with a workout." Well… not a workout. More like a casual stroll. He then turned to Rebecca and saw that she already had her staff drawn from her back. "Want to have some fun?"

The pink haired girl beamed, "I'm not sure how well I'll do… but I'll follow you in, Gohan-kun."

"Me too!" Johnny shouted, leaping forward to stand before the Saiyan at attention.

"You can count us in, aniki!" Yosaku also yelled, joining his friend and copying his stance.

At this point, Nami was gaping at all of them, "You guys as well?" She quickly glanced across at Gohan, whom he saw was flexing his arms. "How can all of you be so calm?"

The demi-Saiyan drove a fist into his palm and smirked back at her, "We're fighters. We do this for a living."

Luffy snickered, "Well said."

After that, the Straw Hat, Zoro, Gohan and Rebecca walked down the road side-by-side, with Johnny, Yosaku and a reluctant Nami following close behind, heading in the direction Boodle had gone to confront the captain of the invading pirates. Along the way, the Saiyan couldn't help but ask the one question that was hovering over his head.

"Honestly. The guy calls himself Buggy the Clown? Why?"

OOO

(A few minutes later)

When the group finally arrived at the tavern, Gohan and his friends recoiled in surprise when they saw the Mayor of the town being held to the ground by a disembodied hand wrapped around his throat. Before any of them could jump in to help the poor elder from being strangled to death by the 'ghost', Luffy sprang into action and pried the fingers free from his esophagus, holding both it and the armored elder away from one another.

Johnny pointed at the hand when they approached, watching it twitch and flex in the rubber kid's grip. "Whoa. Wh-Wh-What the heck's up with that?"

"That's right. You haven't seen Buggy's abilities in action yet," Nami said, taking note of the newcomer's expressions before pointing at the gloved appendage. "Well, _that's_ it."

At first confused, the group then watched the limb fly out of Luffy's hand and up to the roof of the tavern, where it quickly rejoined with its owner. It was then the gang quickly spotted a group of armed men with eyeliner markings, being headed by an average sized adult male, wearing a red and white striped shirt, white gloves, a sash around his waist, and a pair of loose aqua colored pants that showed off his stripy socks and pointy shoes. He also had a fur lined, orange captain's coat and hat. His face of course was the trademark of his crew's sail; clown makeup, lipstick, and a big red, clown nose.

Gohan blinked as he stared, before then stifling a laugh.

So it was true? The leader of the pirates was a clown? Like, an actual… literal clown?

After massaging his bruised limb, the man responsible for all the chaos that'd taken place across the island so far scoffed. "Straw Hat! You dare come waltzing back here to Captain Buggy, huh? You've got some nerve!" He then noticed the four newcomers amongst them, particularly the spiky haired one looking at him strangely. "And who the hell are you morons?"

Realizing he was being addressed, Gohan faked a few coughs to cover up his laughs before tiptoeing forward with a wave. "Hey! How's it goin'?" On cue, Zoro slapped himself in the forehead at how lame that sounded, Nami stared at him oddly, and Rebecca giggled quietly in the background. Trying to come off as friendly and as polite as he could, the Saiyan pointed to his chest with his hand. "Gohan. Hi. Pleasure. First, I just want to say- and this is by no means sarcastic or insulting in anyway- that I'm very, _very_ grateful to you and your crew, for helping me and my friend get over two weeks of spirit hazing seasickness and hell with the most gratifying fireworks display ever. Really." He then placed a hand over his breast and bowed. " _Thank you_ , from the bottom of my heart."

Buggy and his men, completely confused and dumbfounded by this stranger's humble words and gratitude, shared a look with one another before the clown captain turned back to face the newcomer awkwardly. "Umm… you're welcome?"

Nodding, Gohan then straightened up and took a deep breath. "Second… and if this isn't inconvenient for you guys in any way…" He then stepped back and gestured to his side like a waiter ushering guests into his restaurant, "Could you and your crew please form an orderly line along this road _here_ , so my friends and I can deal out as generous an ass kicking to each and every one of you as we possibly can." By this point, the jaws on every single man standing on the roof had dropped, whereas most of the people standing behind the Saiyan were snickering in amusement, with Luffy and Rebecca having bent over from silent fits of laughter. Placing the cherry on top of his confident performance, Gohan grinned cheekily, "Names, birthdays and addresses are not required."

Nami gaped at the nerve on the young Saiyan before hissing at him, "Are you crazy?!"

"Ha-ha! This guy is great!" Luffy cackled, at the same time gripping his stomach.

Buggy seethed with rage at the teenager's impertinence, "Oh-ho, so you think you're some kind of tough guy, huh?"

Gohan waved a hand in front of him, "More or less."

"Well, I'm sorry to say this, but you're _all_ dead!" the clown captain barked, a vein throbbing on his forehead as he glared down at the entire troop collected at the base of the building. "You and this entire town are finished!"

"Oh well. It was worth a shot," Gohan said, straightening up with a sigh.

Panicking slightly, Nami edged forward to tap Zoro on the shoulder, "Listen, I don't care if you guys end up fighting or not. I just want the map and treasure."

The man with the three katanas sighed when he heard her, "Yeah. We know."

Gasping for air, the poor old man lying on the ground slowly pushed himself back to his feet, spear in hand. "W-What are all you young'uns doing here? Stay out of this! This is my fight! My battle! I will protect this town!" Boodle then took up his weapon in two hands. "Quit your meddling!" All of a sudden, Luffy stepped around and thrust his hand into the back of the Mayor's head, ramming him face-first into a nearby wall.

When the guy dropped to the ground unconscious, Rebecca, Johnny, Yosaku and Nami gaped at the straw hat kid in shock.

"What the hell, dude?!" the swordsman with the headgear shouted in disbelief.

The orange haired girl was beside herself, "Why did you attack the Mayor?"

Luffy grinned back at them and replied cheerily, "Oh. He was in the way."

Hearing this and seeing the boy's simple reasoning behind his actions drew a nod of understanding from Gohan, "Smart thinking." He then folded his arms and began inspecting the building in front of him that was serving as the stronghold for the pirates. Counting the floors and the number of people he could see, the Saiyan then stuck his finger in his mouth, held it up and checked the wind speed and direction, as if making calculations for some kind of launch.

"He would've just charged in and gotten himself killed. It's better that he's unconscious," Zoro added, also appearing completely unfazed by how his partner had so violently incapacitated the old man.

An uncomfortable look reflected across Rebecca's face as she glanced back at the boy in the straw hat. "I'm sure there was a better way you could've done that."

"I agree," Nami spoke, before scowling at the two men she'd been associating with most since their arrival, "Stop doing unnecessary things!"

While the rest of the group continued to bicker over Luffy's decision to knock Mayor Boodle out, with Johnny and Yosaku helping to move the poor old man out of the way, Gohan, tilting his head at the building where Buggy's crew was hold up, then walked away from his group to rummage through a pile of random supplies lying nearby. When he was done searching through the crates, he returned to the group, a large cannon ball under his arm and an eager smile on his face.

Turning his gaze back to the roof once Nami was done reprimanding them, Zoro frowned at the group of pirates glaring at them, "So… are you fellas going to come down from there or what?"

"Yeah!" Luffy said, also turning back to the pub. Taking in a deep breath, he then shouted as loud as he could up to the men gathered on the pub's roof, "COME DOWN AND FIGHT US YOU BIG, RED NOSED IDIOT!" His words were so pronounced that they ended up echoing across the entire island, silencing everyone and everything that was present.

The entirety of Buggy's crew, Nami included, gaped at the teen in the straw hat as if he'd just grown a second head. Staggered by his audacity, the now fuming captain of the crew turned to his underlings and yelled at them, "LOAD THE SPECIAL BUGGY CANNON BALL!" And that's exactly what the subordinates next to him did, hauling their enormous artillery piece over so that it was sitting right on the edge of the building and pointing directly down at the group.

Nami gasped in horror while Rebecca dropped into a defensive stance, "Oh no!"

Johnny and Yosaku freaked out, clutching each other in a terrified hug, **"WE'RE DEAD!"**

Also appearing alarmed at the sight of the large gun, Zoro stepped forward and tried to grab Luffy, whose expression and posture remained unchanged in the face of the massive cannon, "Hey, you idiot, move out of the way!"

Before anyone could take any evasive action or attempt to pry the rubber man's feet from the ground, Gohan casually stepped forward and gently nudged Luffy to the side. "Mind if I take this?" Seeing Luffy stare at him and nod a second later, the Saiyan then set the cannon ball he was holding on the floor before gesturing for the people behind him to make some space. Doing so actually caused Buggy and his crew, who were in the process of loading another large orange ball into their cannon, to look down at the group in confusion.

Even Gohan's friends were watching the Saiyan strangely, as they had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

After positioning the ball with his foot, Gohan quickly glanced back at where Nami, Rebecca and the others were standing, and winked at the girls, "You're going to love this." Adjusting his stance, the calm looking Saiyan then cleared his throat, grinned, and began speaking in a commentator's tone of voice.

"A hush silence falls over the crowd as Son D. Gohan out of East District's, Mount Paozu… lines up the shot." Remembering the Battle Ball match he'd watched on television with his father all those years ago, he then formed a frame with his fingers and thumbs in front of his face. Squinting with one eye, he quickly marked the cannon ball's trajectory, before lifting his hand high into the air. "His form looks good." Skipping forward, the boy pulled his leg back and, with barely a grunt of effort, kicked the cannon ball.

The force Gohan actually hit the projectile with sent the lead object flying at the building at twenty times the speed of sound, not only blowing a massive hole through every single wall it traveled through, but also taking out the entire back section and sending debris flying across the village. But the destruction didn't stop there. After the ball flew clear over the horizon at Mach 20, causing loud sonic booms to ring out as it traveled, the shockwave it created from hitting the building disintegrated all the support beams and pillars inside, which then caused the entire structure to splinter before imploding on itself. The Buggy pirates stationed on top, too stunned to react fast enough, cried out in terror as the floor beneath them gave way and the entire building collapsed.

Once the tavern had been toppled to the ground, sending a cloud of dust in all directions, Gohan grinned from ear to ear, whereas the people behind him had their eyes bugging out of their sockets and jaws almost literally hitting the floor.

As soon as the smoke cleared, the young Saiyan threw his hands in the air and did a victory lap of the square. "And the crowd goes wild!" He then cupped his hands over his mouth and did his best imitation of a roaring crowd, before punching the air triumphantly, "GOOOAAAAAL!" When he looked back at his friends, he saw everyone, including Rebecca, was gaping at him in shock. Realizing what he'd just done, Gohan quickly gave a nervous laugh, before straightening up and gesturing towards the pile of rubble behind him. "All yours, guys."

"WOW!" Luffy suddenly shouted, sprinting up to Gohan with stars in his eyes that surprised the Saiyan. "That was SO awesome! How did you do that?"

Cracking a smile, the Saiyan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "It was nothing special. I just kicked the ball and sent it flying. That's all."

Nami, finally recovering from her stupor, shook her head and rushed up to the Saiyan as well in alarm, "What are you? Some kind of monster?" She then pointed across at what was formerly the tavern. "You just annihilated that building by punting a cannon ball through it with your foot! How are you able to do something like that?"

Coming to the boy's defense, Rebecca stood alongside her friend and smiled up at him, "He's just an amazing person."

"Yeah. So is Luffy," Gohan chuckled, while at the same time pointing at the guy in the straw hat, "You should see the kind of stuff he can do."

"Stuff?" Nami asked, giving said boy her undivided attention.

"Yep. I'm a rubber man," Luffy chuckled, at the same time pulling at his cheeks so that they stretched to an impossible width. "See?" The sight of his physically defying action had Nami recoil in horror, Johnny and Yosaku gape, and Gohan grin from ear to ear.

Apparently only a couple of them were used to seeing this much weirdness out on the ocean.

Unfortunately the group was unable to continue their conversation. When the smoke finally cleared from the wreckage of the building, it revealed Buggy, still in one piece, standing amongst the woodwork, holding two of his men in front of him by the throat. "How dare you try to do me in." The bodies of his crewmates smoldering and their eyes glazed over, the clown captain dumped them to the floor before glowering in the group's direction. "Now I'm mad."

Luffy, Gohan and the others frowned when they saw Buggy was still alive and well, apparently having used his friends as human shields. And he wasn't the only one that survived either. Thanks to the manner in which the building had collapsed, even more members of Buggy's crew started to come around, with the first being the lion tamer that Luffy had fought earlier. Leaping forward, the man with the white bear-haircut and blue pants cried out in alarm when he spotted the group standing on the street, and darted up to his boss.

"C-C-Captain Buggy!"

"Mohji?"

"Be careful! That kid in the straw hat has Devil Fruit powers just like you!" the performer shouted in panic. "He's a rubber man!"

"What?" Captain Buggy growled, looking back at his crewmate before turning to the collection of young adults. When he saw Luffy grin and wave back at him, the clown boss gave a thoughtful murmur, "A rubber man, huh? That explains a lot." His eyes quickly shifted over to Gohan, whom he saw was looking back at him curiously. "And that other one is pretty strong as well." Upon analyzing the competition, the captain then put on a menacing grin, which was emphasized by his pirate-clown makeup. "It doesn't matter. I'll crush them and anyone else who stands in my way."

All of a sudden, the rubble behind the two pirates was shoved away by the large white lion that Gohan and the others had seen Mohji riding earlier that day. However, it wasn't the feline that'd pushed the wood and rubble away that had their attention, but the man that was holding the giant cat by the scruff of its neck. He was a skinny looking man with dark green hair that covered half of his face, with a long white and blue checkered scarf wrapped around his neck. He also had a purple sleeveless coat that went down to his knees and white pants held up by a blue sash.

"Well… that was unpleasant," the newcomer spoke in a stoic voice, before depositing the lion he was carrying in a manner similar to how Buggy had dropped his two crewmates. "This is by far the biggest insult we've suffered since we hoisted the flag, Captain."

The clown looked back at his second crewmate with a smirk, "I concur, Cabaji. I'm so mad right now that I can barely form the right words in my mouth."

It was at that point one of them finally noticed the lion's condition. "RICHIE!" Mohji shouted in alarm, jumping over to his partner and shaking the large cat. He then glared up at the tall man that'd dumped him to the floor. "W-What did you do to him?"

Cabaji flicked his hair back carelessly, "Oh. I used him as a shield to stop my clothes from getting dirty."

"You bastard!" Mohji cursed, lunging at the man with a punch. However, the taller man effortlessly dodged his blow and kicked the lion tamer towards Luffy's crew, who looked on in bewilderment as the poor pirate flew in their direction. "GAAH! Move out of the way!"

"No. _You_ move out of the way!" Luffy shouted, before flinging his leg up and catching the man in the face with a kick. The blow sent the guy into a nearby building, where he ended up splatting against the side before crashing to the floor.

"Mohji has gone into battle!" one of the pirates in the rubble shouted. Pulling up a cutlass, the burly man in the vest and short pants then jabbed it towards Gohan's group and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "CHAAAARGE!" His battle cry was joined by several others as, in a matter of seconds, over two dozen still conscious pirates barreled out of the pile of ruins, past the smirking Buggy and Cabaji, and towards the group of young heroes.

Johnny and Yosaku, seeing the oncoming horde sprinting in their direction, grinned eagerly and drew their swords.

" _ **Dibs!"**_ the bounty hunters shouted, before they too rushed forward and clashed with the first wave of men they came across.

Spinning her staff around, Rebecca also threw herself into battle, leaping high into the air and, after performing a few acrobatic flips, dropped down onto the first pirate she saw, slamming him into the floor face-first. She then proceeded to battle five men at once, deflecting their blades and clubs with her staff and disarming them with several quick strikes. Upon which she spun her stick around her entire body and kicked a man in the stomach, sending him into a friend and knocking both of them to the ground.

Zoro whistled when he saw the pink haired girl effortlessly take out another three men with a single swipe of her weapon, "Whoa. That girl's got some pretty slick moves."

"I know," Gohan spoke, at the same time throwing a grin at the swordsman, "I taught her." After seeing Zoro nod back in understanding, the young Saiyan looked back to watch the battle unfold, only to spot a couple of pirates in the rubble crawl towards a fallen barrel. It took Gohan a couple of seconds to realize that it was in fact the cannon that'd been sitting on the roof, which had his hair bristle in alarm. "Shit!"

"FIRE!" the wounded man directly behind the cannon yelled, lighting the end and watching the wick burn away in an instant. A split second later, the gun fired with a deafening bang, the blowback not only throwing back the two pirates and knocking them unconscious, but sending the orange ball it contained across the battlefield towards Luffy and his friends.

Rebecca, Johnny, Yosaku and their opponents instinctively dodged to avoid being taken out.

Before Gohan could jump in to deflect the object, Luffy leapt directly into the path of the projectile and inhaled sharply, " _ **Gomu Gomu no Fuusen!**_ " (Gum Gum Balloon) In an instant, the boy's body inflated to that of a massive, human-sized ball, which not only managed to catch the cannon's shell, but deflect it away from their position.

Unfortunately, due to the angle that the round had been fired, it ended up bounding off of Luffy's abdomen and straight into a building on the left-hand side of the street, taking a huge chunk out of the bottom wall before exploding safely out at the harbor. That seemed to be the end of it. However, after bits of the damaged house's timber fell away, the entire three story apartment suddenly began to tilt, its top half suspending itself directly over the observing group's position.

Nami freaked out when she saw the structure slowly begin to topple towards them… and Mayor Boodle whom Johnny and Yosaku had left directly under said building. "Aah! Look out!"

"I got it!" Gohan yelled, jumping towards the apartment and catching it just before its foundations could give way. Managing to stop it from keeling over completely, the teen leant against it with one hand like he was leaning against any other wall and breathed a sigh of relief. He then grinned back at the alarmed looking Nami and Zoro. "Don't mind me. Just hanging out. Oh crap…" When bits of tiles started to slip off of the roof and the wall crumbled slightly under the pressure, Gohan put his back against the house's frame and slowly eased it into place. As of that moment, the Saiyan had become structurally integral to the base of the building. "It's alright. Everything's under control." He then gave his friends a reassuring thumbs-up.

Nami and Zoro sweat dropped at how casually Gohan was holding back the building. The damn thing looked like it had a couple thousand tons of brick and woodwork on top of it, and yet the teen was exerting no effort in keeping it upright.

"Who the heck is this guy?" Nami wondered out loud.

Grinning broadly at seeing the Saiyan leaning against the collapsing residence, Luffy punched the air in encouragement, "Go, Gohan! Show that house whose boss!"

Meanwhile, stepping forward, the man in the scarf and coat standing beside the pirate boss focused his glare on the group of youngsters battling across the quad, "Captain Buggy. Allow me to take care of these pests. I'll make sure they pay dearly for sullying your good name and the name of our great fleet."

Eyes flickering with malicious intent, the clown-faced leader nodded, "Very well, Cabaji. I'm counting on you."

Grinning at receiving his captain's approval, the man suddenly produced a unicycle from behind his back and leapt onto it, before charging towards Luffy's crew at great speed. Weaving his way through the battle already going on, dodging his men and a swing from Rebecca, Cabaji made a B-line straight towards the one that has been causing them problems from the get go. "As Chief of Staff, I will reclaim the honor of my crew and defeat each and every one of you, right here, right now!" Drawing a long sword, the second mate thrust the blade towards Luffy.

However, before his attack could land, Zoro leapt in the way and blocked his attack with the flat of his katana, "Sorry, pal. But I'll be your opponent today!" Though his intervention surprised Cabaji, the acrobat on the unicycle then cracked a smile at the prospect of battling the pirate hunter.

While the two swordsmen locked blades, Luffy suddenly stepped forward, as he noticed that his friend was bleeding from his side. "Hey, Zoro, you're still injured. You should let me take this. Or better yet, why not let the new guy fight him?" He then pointed across at Gohan, who he forgot was still holding up the building.

"It's okay! I'm good!" Gohan shouted, before then beginning to look around the floor. "I just need to find something to wedge under here to stop this thing from falling." Spotting a partially destroyed log laying just out of reach, the boy attempted to reach it with his foot. Straining a little as the item was still a few meters away, the Saiyan cursed and, going against his better judgment, cautiously left his post. He then ran back frantically when the building began to fall again. "Crap! Crap! Crap!" Like a scene from a Jackie Chan film, Gohan heaved the building back into place and frowned miserably at his predicament. "Okay. How am I going to do this?"

He couldn't use too much strength, otherwise he'd bust through the building like crate paper and he couldn't use super speed, because his return to the building would crush it even more.

Nami once against sweat-dropped at how Gohan was attempting to handle the situation. Even though there was a battle going on, the guy was actually finding time to do this stunt. How could he be so calm?

Seeing the boy was preoccupied, Zoro smirked, "No thanks. I can handle this guy. Trust me." He then readjusted the grip on his sword.

Cabaji's eyes flickered as he continued to push his blade against his opponent's. "So you're choosing to fight me instead of running? How brave. It'll be a real honor to defeat you, Roronoa Zoro." Reaching up, the second mate suddenly pulled down his scarf and breathed a ball of fire onto the unsuspecting swordsman. Not expecting such an attack from the trickster, Zoro cried out and dropped to his knees, gripping his singed face. Taking advantage of the situation, the acrobat on the unicycle pivoted and drove a kick into the warrior's side, right on the spot where he was injured.

The blow caused a spurt of blood to fly out from the bandages and drew a louder cry of pain from Zoro, who dropped to the floor, clutching his bandaged waist.

The sight had the balancing Cabaji snicker. "What's this? I didn't even hit you that hard," the warrior mocked.

Seeing the swordsman fall had Nami grit her teeth in outrage, "You bastard! How could you do that? Aiming for the wounded area…"

Gohan, still doing his Charlie Chaplin act with his hand pressed nonchalantly against the falling building, called across the street, "Fighting isn't supposed to be pretty. Dirt bags do stuff like that all the time."

Spinning his sword about, the smugly grinning Cabaji then struck the ground and unleashed a blast of smoke, which fell over the entire area and clouded Zoro's view. Spitting as he took a step back, the former bounty hunter attempted to glare through the fumes for his opponent. "It's just smoke. This trick won't work on me." Eyes snapping across, he saw his opponent's blade cut through the wall, prompting him to bring his own swords up and block.

All of a sudden, a sharp pain hit Zoro's side when Cabaji violently kicked the man in the wounded area again, causing him to drop to the ground like a sack of flour. As the swordsman's cries filled the streets, the unicycle fighter chuckled, "Come on. A grown man rolling around on the floor? That's just pathetic." Twirling his sword around as he moved back and forth on his wheel, the long haired swordsman grinned. "Fighting and making an enemy of the Buggy Pirates today was your biggest mistake of your lives. I'll make sure every one of you suffers swift and painful deaths for causing our group so much trouble."

Gritting her teeth, Nami then spun around and faced Luffy, who she could see was watching with a stone-cold visage, "What are you doing just standing there? Why don't you help him?"

"No! Don't!" Zoro shouted, rolling back onto his feet and gasping for breath. "I don't need help! I can handle this guy myself!"

The young man in the straw hat smiled and gestured towards the swordsman, "See. Zoro's fine." This earned a frustrated snarl from Nami, who could only resign herself to her position and watch the carnage take place.

When Cabaji got too close, Zoro used that opportunity to swing his sword at him, smacking the own guy's blade away. Biting his teeth together, the samurai then stood up with a firm grip on both his weapons. "You're starting to piss me off. Do you think attacking my wound is funny? Well…" To the shock of Nami and Luffy, they saw the swordsmen take his blade and make an even deeper cut along his waist, aggravating his injury further. Upon which Zoro placed his third sword between his teeth and smirked. "How about now? Is this a big enough of a handicap for you?" He then took a wider stance, with all three of his weapons drawn and ready for action. "To anyone who calls himself a swordsman, I will not allow myself to lose to them… not even once. Let me show you the difference in skill between us!"

As he prepared to watch Zoro begin a second round with his foe, Gohan, who'd tried and failed multiple times to find a piece of wood to keep the building from falling, had become completely enwrapped by the fight that was going on. He grinned and applauded when he heard the confidence and determination the moss haired swordsman spoke with, "Well said, Zoro. You tell that crooked, son of a-BITCH!" His moment of amusement caused him to push a little too hard against the house he was supporting with his back, causing it to fall in the other direction and crash to the ground. Looking at the partially intact building in momentary alarm, with the people who were fighting also sparing the teen a glance, Gohan chuckled and shrugged. "Oh well. I tried." He quickly turned around and walked back over to where everyone else was gathered, giving him the perfect opportunity to see how his friends were doing.

While Johnny and Yosaku were having a blast taking on the cannon fodder, Rebecca was practically cleaning house with her opponents one by one, sweeping them down with quick, powerful strikes of her staff. As the battle in the square raged on, more of Buggy's men started to regain consciousness and join the fray, with their boss observing the battle impatiently from the sidelines. He'd expected the troublesome group to put up a fight, but from the looks of it he was getting a little more than he bargained for.

Upon noticing Gohan approach them, Nami quickly leaned over to Luffy and whispered to him, "Hey. Behind the pub there's a storage house where Buggy keeps all of his loot and ammo. Since you guys are keeping the boss and his crew occupied, I'll sneak over there and grab everything I can." She then grinned and waved as she headed into the alley behind them. "If you actually manage to win and get the map, I'll be glad to cooperate with you guys in the future."

Luffy cracked a smile and waved back at her. "Sure. Best of luck."

Blinking when he saw the girl disappear, Gohan shrugged and, hands in his pockets, walked past Luffy towards the same alley. "I think I'll follow her… make sure she gets out okay." He then turned to the battlefield, where he saw Johnny being pinned to the ground by two pirates and Rebecca pressing her foot into another pirate's face. "Will you three be alright without me?"

Hearing him over the sounds of metal clanging and screaming, Rebecca looked back at her Saiyan teacher and beamed brightly. "We'll be fine, Gohan-kun!"

"Yeah! Don't worry about us! We got this!" Yosaku shouted as well, getting one of the pirates in a headlock and starting to bash his face in till he was unconscious.

Grinning, Gohan jogged down the inner road to catch up to Nami. He easily found her tiptoeing her way around the buildings. When she stopped at a corner, he used that moment to side up next to her and smile, "So… what's the plan?"

Jumping at hearing the teen's voice, the startled thief looked over her shoulder and sighed. She then gave the Saiyan a suspicious glare. "What the heck are you doing? Why aren't you helping Luffy and Zoro fight Buggy?"

"Ah, those two can take care of themselves," Gohan waved, before sparing a glance back the way he'd come. "I just came along to see if I could help out. Since they're the ones with scores to settle, I'm not going to interfere unless I really have to." He then grinned back down at the girl. "I'm actually more concerned with you and what you have going on. There're quite a lot of nasty people around here." He added to this by giving Nami a wide grin. "Are you sure you want to be going off on your own?"

After eyeing the Saiyan for a moment to see if he wasn't suddenly going to pull a fast one on her, the orange haired thief smirked and turned back to the path ahead. "You don't have to worry about me getting caught. Trust me. I've been doing this for a long time."

"I believe you," Gohan chuckled, before then following Nami at a casual pace as she sprinted across the intersection. Passing the wreckage of the pub on their far right, the pair continued sneaking around the buildings to the back. "After all the people I've met so far, you have to be pretty hardcore to survive out here on these waters."

Nami let out a light laugh at the boy's remark, "You don't know the half of it. There are pirates and scum bags everywhere on this ocean, and if you don't know how to deal with people like that, then you're not going to make it very far." On that thought, she then spared a glance at the spiky haired boy following her. "And what's your story? How in the world did someone like you get as strong as you are?" She was obviously still reeling from the fact that she'd watched the guy kick a cannon ball through a building and destroy it like it was a sandcastle.

The spiky haired teen chuckled, "A lot of push-ups and sit-ups, I guess."

A skeptical frown formed on the girl's lips, "Are you, like, a Devil Fruit user or something… like Luffy and Buggy?"

Gohan shook his head at her question, "Nope." He then flexed his arm and clapped his bicep with his freehand, "All of the strength and powers I have today, I had to train for years to gain control over them." He then slipped his hands into his pockets. "With my genes, even if I didn't train so much, I would still be pretty strong."

After staring at the boy's face to see if he was messing with her, the girl then looked down when she noticed the black shirt he was wearing. Since it was so tight and practically hugged at his upper body, she could see all of the rippling muscles he had underneath. They weren't overly large that they appeared fake or comical. On the contrary, he had a tone and physique of a professional athlete; someone who lifted and did a shitload of cardio on a day to day basis.

Seeing his frame clearly showcased in his top and how close he was standing to her had Nami blush and hastily avert her gaze. "I… I see," she stammered, covering up her embarrassment with a nervous cough. "Well, whatever training you did to get so strong, you're pretty damn amazing."

"Thanks," Gohan chirped, taking her compliment as it was while completely ignoring her changed expression.

Nami then gave him a funny smile, "Where did an amazing guy like you come from? Somewhere from the East Blue? The South Blue?"

Processing her question quickly, the Saiyan then shot her a grin, "I'd be happy to tell you… if you told me a little bit about where you came from and why a pretty girl like you is hanging out in a dangerous place like this."

At this, a small frown spread across Nami's lips, "I… don't really want to talk about it." She added with a quick look away, which helped in hiding the troubled expression on her face.

Gohan however noticed her sudden change in mood, which immediately told him everything he needed to know then and there. The girl's unwillingness to team up with Luffy, her lone-wolf attitude, her hatred of pirates, as well as the general distrust of everyone around her… he didn't need to have a psychiatric degree to figure all that out. Instead of pushing her about it, he simply spared Nami a smile and nodded in understanding.

"So…" he began, wisely changing the subject to something else and turning his gaze to the group of store houses in front of him, "Which building do you think Buggy's stash is?"

Eyes lighting up with renewed determination, Nami's gaze quickly shifted to a small building with a bunch of crates sitting outside of it, all emblazoned with Buggy's emblem. "There." She then ran over to it, where both she and Gohan ended up standing outside the front door, which was securely sealed. As the bangs and shockwaves of an intense battle continued to take place behind them, the orange haired girl squatted down in front of the iron padlock and pulled out a set of picking tools from her pocket. "Alright. It's a simple lock, but with a double bolt and screw casing that can't be broken through force. I just need to-" She was stopped midsentence by Gohan placed a hand on her shoulder. "What?"

Gently pulling Nami out of the way, the Saiyan gave the girl a reassuring smile before effortlessly lifting his foot and kicking the door in, sending it flying to the other side of the storehouse in a shower of splinters. Once the way was clear, he then stepped away and gestured Nami inside with a gentlemanly bow. "After you."

The thief shot the boy a mischievous smile and was about to walk past him, until the sound of another loud explosion caught their attention.

Looking behind them, they saw Luffy fly out the side of a building several doors away and land in the middle of the road in a squatting position. They then spotted Buggy leaping after him through the cloud of debris, only he wasn't exactly… _whole_. This was because the clown had somehow managed to separate himself into random bits of human anatomy, which were now orbiting his head in the form of various disembodied limbs and body parts.

Gohan raised an eyebrow at the weirdness of the man's abilities. "Huh? So he can control separate parts of his body even though they're not attached to him?" the Saiyan remarked.

Startled by the sheer madness of the fight that was taking place, Nami narrowed her gaze into one of seriousness. "More than that. Apparently Buggy can survive having his body chopped to pieces and can reassemble himself at will… something to do with the Devil Fruit that he ate," the thief answered, at the same time throwing her arms out exasperatedly. "Hell he can even levitate using those same abilities."

"Huh. Sounds like somebody I once fought," Gohan murmured, remembering how Cell was able to re-grow his limbs after being dismembered and could survive even the most fatal of injuries by regenerating himself. By and large, the android had been the most outrageous opponent he and his friends have ever faced, so seeing Buggy do something this didn't faze Gohan as much as it should've.

Cell had freaky powers and was monstrously strong, to the point he could wipe out an entire solar system with a single blast. Buggy was just straight up freaky.

Gohan and Nami watched the battle unfold, observing as Luffy and Buggy began attempting to strategically land a blow on the other. Luffy fired off an impossibly long punch at his target, which the clown calmly avoided before drawing one his swords back to cut off the teen's extended limb. However, before he could do so, the owner suddenly came hurtling right at him with a hook when his hand latched onto a distant tree and used it as an anchor to reel himself in. This particular maneuver startled Buggy momentarily, but the clown was able to counter the kid's attack by speedily detaching his head from his body, causing Luffy to fly past him and miss. When the kid in the straw hat crashed into the pile of rubble where the tavern once stood, the clown captain then aimed the knuckles of his right hand at him and fired it like a bullet from a gun, only for Luffy to dodge it so that it hit the rubble instead.

Nami shook her head at how the two were attempting to beat one another. It eventually got to a point where she watched Luffy lunge furiously at his opponent, as Buggy had inadvertently ended up nicking the straw hat on his head. "I can't believe fights like this are even possible. Seriously, buildings exploding… bodies defying the laws of physics… it's just so… _unnatural_."

Gohan chuckled at her comment, "You'd be surprised at the kind of stuff some people are capable of."

His words drew Nami's gaze across to him, with the girl pointing dumbfounded at the clashing Buggy and Luffy, "What about you? How are you not freaked out by any of this?" She then stopped for a moment at what she just said, before turning away with her hand raised. "Wait. Don't answer that. I literally just watched you bring down an entire building less than ten minutes ago."

The Saiyan then grinned in a carefree manner, "Impressed?"

"More like still trying to determine whether or not this is all just some horrible dream," Nami replied, shooting a smirk back at the teen.

Buggy's laughter filling the air quickly drew the pair's attention back to the warring duo, where they saw Luffy kneeling on the floor while the clown pirate reattached all of his limbs. In one of his hands, the big-nosed captain had three short swords drawn, with what both Gohan and Nami saw was Luffy's hat impaled on the tips. From a distance, the two youngsters watched Luffy's expression twist from shock to outright anger.

"Kuhahahaha! You call this tacky thing a treasure? This raggedy, old straw hat? It can't be worth more than fifteen beli. What kind of an idiot are you?" Buggy cackled as he inspected the piece of headgear in his grip.

This only seemed to enrage Luffy further, who then got up and yelled at Buggy at the top of his lungs, "That's the hat Shanks gave me! I swore I would protect it for him!"

At first appearing surprised, the clown then looked back at the headwear before tossing it carelessly to the floor. "So that's why it looks so familiar. This is the stupid hat that Shanks wore all those years ago." He then sneered with a malicious grin in play. "He and I were comrades back in the day. We both served on the same boat, cleaning floors, scrubbing toilets and going on missions together. I swear, just thinking about that man infuriates me to no end." Raising his foot, the clown then stomped on the hat and crushed it beneath his heel. "He was a fool then… and he's a bigger fool _now_!"

"Don't you dare bad mouth Shanks!" Luffy shouted, sprinting forward and leaping at the clown pirate with a haymaker, "He's a great man! UNLIKE YOU!" His battle cry was marked by a wicked thump seconds later, as he not only tackled his opponent to the ground, he literally knocked Buggy's head clean off its shoulders when the man deliberately detached it out of reflex. When the clown captain reattached it a split second later, Luffy grabbed his face and started pulling at his cheeks.

"Gah! Get off of me!" Buggy shouted, attempting to paw at Luffy's face to remove him, only to uselessly stretch it out due to the rubbery texture of his body.

As Luffy began screaming at his opponent about how great a man Shanks was and how he saved his life, a sad frown appeared on Gohan's face as he watched the battle slowly unfold. To Luffy, it was no longer just a battle to save a town and to satisfy some personal vendetta, it'd also become a battle to defend the honor of a person he viewed and respected above anyone else. That hat he wore was obviously a precious keepsake from that very same person, and to see someone like Buggy deliberately trash it out of spite and cruelty was just heart wrenching to watch.

Though it was a simple item, something a person would wear on a day-to-day basis, it obviously meant a great deal to Luffy. It was something Gohan understood quite well, as he too had a few people in his life that he looked up to.

Nami blinked as she watched Luffy continue to attempt to pummel Buggy into submission. "I thought he was the kind of guy who wouldn't get upset about anything. He seemed so cheerful and carefree…"

Gohan nodded, "I guess everyone out there has some kind of trigger… no matter how small or insignificant it may be."

"True," Nami murmured. A couple of blinks later and the girl then looked over her shoulder in alarm, "Ah! I got so caught up in watching I forgot about the treasure!" Her mood then did a complete 180 when she skipped into the warehouse, where she was slowly followed by Gohan. When he arrived at the back room, he heard the young girl squeal when he found her looking upon an entire treasure horde of gold, cash and jewelry, which amounted to several months of robbery on these oceans.

"Yes! Jackpot!" the orange haired girl cheered, before rushing forward to begin loading the treasure into a couple of sacks, which she was able to grab from the previous room. When Nami bent over and started stuffing cash into the first bag from the bottom shelf, she gave Gohan a prime view of her derrière, which the teen couldn't help but admire for several seconds.

When he realized he was staring, the Saiyan balked and hurriedly shook the blush from his cheeks, as well as the dirty thoughts that started bleeding into his head. _"Damn it… no. Bad Gohan. Bad."_ Wanting to disperse himself of the images in his head, Gohan decided to distract himself with a different task. Noticing some treasure off to the side that Nami hadn't spotted yet, the Saiyan decided to line his own pockets and, with a quick zap of his finger, turned the entire pile into a capsule. He then discreetly slipped the unit into his pocket.

Hell, everybody else was doing it. From a rational perspective, he was actually doing the world a service by depriving a malicious criminal of his retirement fund.

By the time she was finished, Nami had managed to load up two whole sacks of gold and cash. When she skipped out of the storehouse with a content look on her face, her demi-Saiyan escort couldn't help but snicker at how happy she appeared. It was almost like Christmas had come early.

However, several seconds after leaving the warehouse, as Nami was attempting to sneak around the rubble of the downed tavern, they heard the sound of someone fast approaching them… and he was _not_ happy.

"-anyone who dares to steal my treasure, no matter who they are, never escapes from me alive!"

Gohan and Nami's eyes shot up to see that Buggy had detached his entire upper body from his torso, and was now lunging down at them with a dozen knives held between his fingers. The orange haired girl freaked out when she saw the clown pirate flying at her like a scene from a child's nightmare and attempted to flee.

"Crap! He saw me!" the girl shouted.

"Unhand my treasure, you thief!" Buggy bellowed as he thrust his blades forward, intent on skewering the girl in one blow. When he saw Gohan dart in front of Nami to protect her, the clown laughed. "KUHAHA! You think you can protect her? Well, you're wro-GAEEK!" The man stopped unexpectedly in mid-strike, just an inch away from the Saiyan and the terrified cat burglar.

At first Gohan and Nami were confused by his loss of momentum and the stupid smile that appeared on his face. When they looked over the man's shoulder, they saw that Luffy had planted his foot firmly between the man's legs and had a triumphant grin on his face. It only took them a couple of seconds to realize what must have happened, and when Buggy eventually dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, stuttering incoherently, the pair started to laugh.

"Ha! Well played!" Gohan shouted, looking down at the wounded clown with his hands on his hips. "That's what happens when you don't use your abilities correctly." After giving a thumbs-up to Luffy, who returned it with equal vigor, the Saiyan then turned to Nami and smiled. "Come on. As long as you've got that man's treasure, you're a target to him. Let's get you out of here before that clown decides to pick himself back up."

Groaning as he rolled about on the floor, the still remarkably conscious Buggy wheezed, "Do you think… I'll just let you leave… with _my_ treasure."

Nami apparently heard him and glared down at the clown captain defiantly, "What do you mean _your_ treasure? It's _my_ treasure now!"

"WHAT?" the clown suddenly barked in shock.

"Yeah. I stole it from you fair and square. That makes it mine," Nami retorted, before a thought crossed her mind and she looked away with a huff, "That doesn't make me a pirate though."

Gohan blinked as he looked at her, "In what context?" He then counted on his fingers, "Pirates often steal from other pirates… and if you're planning on sailing out of here on a boat that technically does make you a pirate."

Finally able to levitate off the ground again, the infuriated Buggy growled, "You think you can steal from me and get away with it?!"

"Well… yeah," Nami replied, before then sticking her tongue out at the clown captain childishly. "But that doesn't make me a bad person. As far as I'm concerned, I haven't done anything wrong."

This earned a loud laugh from Gohan, who then looked between her and Luffy. "Man. And I thought my friends back home were a gas. You guys are awesome!"

Growing fed up with these games, Buggy decided to put an end to this fight. **"Bara Bara Festival!"** (Chop-Chop Festival) He split his body, including his legs, into multiple, smaller pieces, like someone had just carved up a slice of meat, and sent them all flying at Nami. He then surrounded both her and Gohan, preparing to swarm them countless limbs and knives. "See if you and your crazy strength can protect her now! GIVE ME BACK MY TREASURE!"

"Never!" the orange haired thief shouted resolutely.

While Gohan took a defensive stance and Nami hugged her bag of booty even tighter, Luffy suddenly noticed a pair of pointy boots walking away from him. These being the only body parts Buggy had left behind, the rubber boy grabbed one of the retreating feet, pulled it out of its shoe, and began to have his wicked ways with it.

All of a sudden, Buggy broke out into outrageous fits of laughter as Luffy started tickling his foot, surprising both Gohan and Nami. After which Luffy started doing all sorts of things with it; pulling the skin, pinching the toes, stretching the smallest one, twisting the big one, and slamming the whole foot into the floor. This elicited all kinds of cries, screams and laughs from the clown, before Buggy turned and cursed at the teen.

"CUT THAT OUT!" Buggy bellowed across the courtyard, earning a few snickers from the rubber man.

Seeing an opening through the whirlwind of body parts, Nami rushed forward and swung her two bags of treasure at Buggy's disembodied head. "You cut it out!" she screamed, slamming the bag into what she hoped was his nose. However, much to her surprise, the clown managed to catch her attack with his hands and hold it firmly in place. Grinning smugly, the captain began a tug-of-war match with the girl's treasure. "Hey! What the-? Let go!"

" _You_ let go!" Buggy squawked, "This treasure is mine!"

Gohan watched the wrestling match between the pirate and the girl strangely for several moments. During which time, Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku, the latter of whom was carrying a barely conscious Zoro over their shoulders, rushed over from the other street to see what was going on. When they stopped at the edge of the battlefield, they too became mystified by the conflict taking place over the pile of rubble and debris, as they'd never seen a girl trying to pull a sack of any kind away from a floating head and body parts before.

"Uhh… what's going on?" Yosaku asked.

"Beats me," Rebecca murmured, trying to make sense as to what was actually happening.

Finally losing patience, Buggy then willed his hands around and, producing two knives out of thin air, sent them flying down at Nami to impale her. The girl looked up at the approaching blades in fright.

"DIE NAMI!"

However, just before Buggy could land the fatal blow, Gohan teleported into the path of his swords and caught the blades between his fingers, startling the clown and everyone watching. As soon as he did, the teen then sped towards the attacker's floating head faster than the man could track and, cocking his fist back, punched Buggy right in the nose. The result was the Saiyan sending Buggy's disembodied head flying across the road at breakneck speed, where it ended up smacking between several buildings like a ball in a pinball machine.

Due to the speed he traveled, everyone swore they heard the exact same sound of the arcade game being made as the clown's head bounced repeatedly from wall to wall.

When Buggy's cranium eventually hit the ground, along with his individual body parts, the clown had been knocked unconscious, with blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

Gohan ended up retracting his fist and looking at his knuckles strangely. "Huh. That felt really weird." It was almost like he'd just punched a beach ball.

Apparently since Buggy's head wasn't attached to his body and was just floating about in midair defying gravity, he was unconsciously able to minimize the damage the Saiyan's punch would've caused to a normal person. Still, even though Gohan hadn't hit the guy with full force, the round of bouncing he did would've definitely left the clown with multiple concussions and a serious headache.

Turning around, the successful Gohan then beamed at the surprised Nami. "You okay?"

Realizing she was still in one piece, the girl smiled warmly at the Saiyan and nodded, "Y-Yeah. Thank you, Gohan. You saved my life."

"Ah, no problem," the hybrid chirped, waving back at the relieved girl before watching her bend over to collect her bags of cash. As she rummaged through Buggy's scattered body parts, the Saiyan then turned to see Luffy and the rest of his friends approaching them from down the road. When they stopped, he began looking them over, before his eyes landed squarely on Rebecca. "How did you guys do?"

Smiling broadly, the princess gave him a thumbs-up, "We kicked butt."

"Yeah. It was totally awesome, aniki," Johnny said, bringing his fist forward and waving it. "We haven't beaten up so many bad guys since the first group we fought! Finally, a battle where Yosaku and I didn't totally suck!" He then shared a high-five with his fellow bounty hunter, the act of which caused the semi-conscious Zoro hanging off of their shoulders to groan in pain.

This then drew Gohan's attention to the wounded one, "Hey. Is he okay?"

Taking note of the green haired warrior's state, Yosaku smiled, "Ah, he'll be fine. Zoro-aniki has gone through much worse." He then turned to grin back at his and Johnny's second idol, whom they noticed didn't have a scratch on him. "Anyway, we…EEEEK!" Both he and Johnny then freaked out when they spotted something floating behind Gohan, causing the Saiyan and the others to turn around.

Everyone then jumped in momentary fright when they saw a still conscious and very pissed-off Buggy's head floating several feet away, a cloud of menace hovering around his hat and blood dribbling from his mouth. The clown snarled, "It's not over yet, you brats!"

Luffy blinked, "What? He's alive?"

"H-How?" Rebecca asked, her eyes darting from the head to the floor, and then to Gohan. The guy was just a _head_ , who got punted in the face by _Gohan_ , who had the strength to level an _entire building_ … AND HE WAS A HEAD!

Even with all her human reasoning backing her up, none of this was making any sense.

Eyes turning to Gohan, the clown leered hatefully. "How dare you inflict so much pain on me! I won't forget this! You and the rubber boy are both dead!" Gaze snapping to Luffy, Buggy then let out a yell. "Reassemble! **Bara Bara Parts!"** He then recalled all of his separated body pieces, only to get back his hands and feet.

The sight of the partially formed man with only four parts attached to his head had Gohan and his friends stare at the guy in silence. Several seconds later, after looking at the captain's surprised face and the current state he was in, the Saiyan, Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku started to snicker, their cheeks puffing out simultaneously, before their amusement came pouring out in the form of unrestrained laughter.

Their response had Buggy react angrily, "OI! QUIT LAUGHING! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! What the hell happened to my body?!"

"Looking for these?" Nami spoke, drawing everyone's attention over to her. When everyone looked, they saw the orange haired thief standing on a pile of Buggy's missing pieces, which were all bound in rope. Grinning triumphantly, the girl held up her two bags of loot and a big piece of rolled-up parchment, "Hey! I got the map!"

The sight of the item had Luffy grin widely, "Awesome! Now we'll finally be able to get to the Grand Line!"

"AAAH!" Buggy screamed when he spotted Nami, "MY PARTS!" His exclamation only caused Gohan, Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku to laugh even harder, the two swordsmen ending up dropping Zoro to the floor so that they could clutch their stomachs.

Shooting his hands back so that they stretched to a considerable distance, Luffy grinned mischievously at the now considerably shorter Buggy. "No wonder you're a thief! Nice one, Nami!" When the clown looked back at the rubber boy fearfully, the raven haired youngster chuckled before throwing both limbs forward at terrific speed. "Get lost, Buggy! **Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"** (Gum Gum Bazooka) His hands slammed into Buggy's head and sent the clown hurtling into the sky, his scream dying off as he vanished over the horizon.

Gohan whistled as he watched the clown-themed pirate disappear into the clouds. "Damn, dude. How far did you hit him?"

Laughing victoriously with his hands in the air, the rubbery pirate Luffy exclaimed loudly, "It doesn't matter. I won." With no one willing to dispute his claim, as the kid technically had beaten the guy at his own game, the kid then turned back to Nami to smile at her. "So, Nami… are you going to join my crew now?" He added to this by extending a hand towards her yet again. "We could really use someone like you on our team."

Smirking as she hefted her heavy bags of treasure in her arms, the orange haired girl turned her shoulder to the cheerful pirate captain. "I'm only going to work with you while it still serves my purpose. Considering how much I was able to haul out of Buggy's safe house, hanging out with you guys might be quite profitable for me." She then rubbed her cheek affectionately to her bag, an act of which earned a chuckle from Gohan and a few odd looks from the others. "This much treasure has got to be worth at least ten million beli… maybe more."

As the others recovered from their respective bouts of awe and began chatting about how well they did in their fights, Gohan had a bit of a walk around the area. Stopping at the side of the road to inspect the damages done to the street allowed Rebecca to catch up to him, where the half-Saiyan then sighed and looked down at her. "Looks like we're going to be in for one hell of an adventure. If there are any more guys like Luffy and Buggy hanging around out there…" He added to this by thumbing back over at the kid made of rubber, "Then I'd say we've got our work cut out for us."

Rebecca beamed at the Saiyan for his optimism. "Do you think you'll be able to handle it? All the weirdness and dangers of the ocean?"

"Oh, hell yeah," Gohan chuckled while placing his hands on his hips, "You said the Grand Line and the New World are even crazier than these oceans, right? Well, if we run into any more bad guys with outrageous strengths and awesome Devil Fruit powers, then I'm definitely going to feel right at home." He clenched a fist and brought it up eagerly. "Bring it on, planet! I'm ready!"

Feeling reinvigorated from his enthusiasm, the pink haired girl giggled and wrapped her arms around her waist. "I can tell you're going to love it here, Gohan-kun."

After sharing a fond smile with his friend, Gohan and Rebecca then walked back over to the group. When they stopped at the place Johnny and Yosaku had unceremoniously dumped Zoro, the pair sweat-dropped when they heard the guy snoring.

"He's hurt and yet… he's sleeping?" Rebecca murmured.

Shaking his head, Gohan then nudged the unconscious swordsman in the side. After a few taps the green haired young man woke up. "Hey. Fight's over. We won."

"Really?" Zoro yawned, before his eyes lazily glanced about. "Did Luffy get the map?"

"Yep. Nami snagged it from Buggy while he was in bits and pieces," Gohan informed, before grinning as memories of the battle started filtering back into his head. "She also stole a ridiculous amount of treasure from his vault. Honestly, you should have seen what happened afterwards. It was friggin' hilarious." Probably the most entertaining thing he'd seen in his entire life.

There was no way he was ever going to forget this battle.

Cracking a smile of his own, the downed swordsman then grunted as he attempted to move. After a few tries he gave up. "Ugh. I don't think I can walk yet."

"Don't worry about it," Gohan said, reaching down and loading the man onto his shoulder. With Rebecca standing directly alongside him, the Saiyan grinned at the former bounty hunter. "We'll have you fixed up in no time." They then headed over to where Luffy and the others were standing. While Johnny and Yosaku were bragging to Nami about how they managed to dispatch all their foes with their 'epic' swordplay and fighting skills, the other teen and leader of his entourage, having recovered his straw hat, was checking on the village's still unconscious mayor.

From what Gohan could see, it looked like poor Boodle was starting to come around, which was good news for everyone.

However, just before the Saiyan could say or do anything, he suddenly spotted a whole crowd of people marching down the main road towards them. Hearing the clamor starting to fill the streets and noticing that everyone was armed with pitchforks and farming equipment, a grim feeling of impending death suddenly settled into the hybrid's gut. "O-Oh. I don't like the look of this." Gohan's remark had all the others turn towards the approaching mob.

"What happened here?" a man at the head of the crowd shouted, "Look! All these buildings have been destroyed!"

"Who could've done this?"

"It had to be the pirates! No doubt about it!"

"Where are they?"

"Hey! What happened to the mayor!" another man shouted when the crowd stopped in front of Luffy's party and noticed the unconscious Boodle in armor lying at his feet. The same farmer pointed at the teenager in question. "You! Did you do this?"

Before anyone in the group could say anything or explain themselves, Luffy grinned proudly and nodded. "Yep! I knocked him out!" This prompted Gohan, Rebecca and everybody else to palm their faces.

"Why in the world would you tell them that, Luffy?" Nami groaned, unable to understand the thought process of her fellow teenager at all.

"There was absolutely no reason for you to say anything," Gohan also added, while at the same time hoisting Zoro further up his shoulder.

The kid in the straw hat looked at all of his friends strangely, "But… you guys saw me do it, didn't you?"

Reacting on their survival instincts, Johnny and Yosaku defiantly formed crosses with their arms and looked straight up to the sky, **"We didn't!"** From their expressions however, it was easy to tell that they were lying.

By this point, all of the villagers were fuming, with the burly men up front brandishing their weapons even higher. Seeing them do so had Nami and Gohan take a cautionary step back, while Luffy simply held his ground with his hands on his hips.

"So you admit it!"

"You _did_ do it!"

"Who the hell are you people?" a woman also shouted.

"Are you the pirates who destroyed our village?"

"Yes! We are pirates!" Luffy once again spoke proudly, obviously not able to read between the lines and inadvertently dooming him and all of his friends to the gallows. Gohan and the others practically face-planted the floor at the boy's good-natured admission, which confirmed to the villagers that they were the "villains" they were looking for.

"So you and your crew are the ones who attacked our village?!"

A young man wielding a rake stepped forward courageously, "We'll make you pay for what you've done!"

Rebecca, wanting to clear up the massive misunderstanding that Luffy was gradually making worse for them, stepped forward in an attempt to appeal to the villagers' sense of reason and raised her hands in a sign of non-violence. "P-Please. We mean you people no harm. I'm sure that if you were to hear what we have to say, that we're not the perpetrators responsible for destroying your homes, I'm positive that you'll see clear to-"

"GET THEM!" the man leading the crowd bellowed, followed by every single other armed person in the formation charging at the group of teenagers.

"RUN!" Johnny cried out, as both he and Yosaku took off down the road at full speed, along with a laughing Luffy and a thoroughly alarmed Rebecca.

Nami sprinted to keep up with them, with Gohan keeping up a generous pace alongside her. As the group quickly made their way through the seaside town followed by the mob of murderous villagers, the demi-Saiyan couldn't help but laugh at the irony of their situation. "Man. Even after we fought and saved this village from being destroyed by Buggy and his crew, we're the ones getting stuck with the blame." That was a first.

Gritting her teeth angrily and holding onto her bags of treasure tightly, Nami sprinted to get ahead of Luffy. "Why the hell did you have to go and say all of that, you block head?!"

The straw hat captain snickered, "This is a good village with good people. Even if we told them everything, they would still be made at us!"

"Yeah! But you didn't need to stir them up even more!" Yosaku yelled, panting as they continued to make their way towards the harbor.

When the group cut down an alleyway, they half-expected the villagers to follow them. However, they were stopped when the little dog Shushu, the one who Luffy had helped out earlier, stood in the way and blocked them off. Despite the villagers trying to reason with the little white pup to stand aside, the dog simply barked at them and refused to budge. This gave the group ample time to make it to the harbor front, where Nami quickly led the group to her boat.

Stopping in front of it, Gohan saw that, unlike Johnny and Yosaku's piece of crap, this one was actually quite the decent looking tub. A relieved smile appeared on his and Rebecca's faces, as they saw that even though the vessel had only one sail, it was fit for all of them and more.

"Wow. Is this yours?" Luffy asked excitedly.

Nami shook her head, "No. I stole it from some stupid pirates."

As if on cue, the three abovementioned pirates that'd been hiding inside the vessel stood up and pointed at the girl accusingly. "Ah-ha! We knew you'd come back here, boat thief! If we just waited for you-" Unfortunately the man that was speaking was cut off by both Johnny and Yosaku jumping in, tackling him, and beating the living daylights out of the entire group.

"Come on!" Johnny waved while standing on one of the three pirates they'd kicked to the floor, "Unless you want to be hung or crucified in the village square, get in!" He didn't need to finish his statement, as Luffy, Nami, Rebecca and Gohan, plus Zoro, had already leapt into the vessel and begun untying it from the pier.

Looking up through his beaten and swollen face, one of the three brigands on the deck growled irritably, "Who the hell… are you people?"

"Ow. What the heck is going on? What's with all the running?" Zoro groaned, drawing the three pirates' attention to him. When the men saw the green-haired bounty hunter sitting on the boat from where he'd been set down and glaring at them, the team of mercenaries jumped out of the vessel and swam for dear life.

After watching the men retreat across the harbor, Gohan then pushed the boat away from the wharf while Luffy unfurled the sail. Catching the wind the instant it was let loose, the craft then began a gentle trek out to sea.

"Alright! Let's go! On to the next island!" the rubber boy shouted, taking to the front with his hand on his hat and a grin on his face.

Helping the boat along with a gentle kiai burst, Gohan then noticed the emblem on the sail and blinked. "Hey… that looks like Buggy's symbol."

"Oh," Nami spoke up, walking over to stand by the observant Saiyan with a proud smile on her face, "I stole it from his pirates… those three who just took off. I'll change it later." When she turned to look up at the spiky haired fighter, she recoiled when she noticed his handsome face was right up next to hers, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully on her profile. Blushing at their sudden proximity, the orange haired girl stuttered. "Whoa. W-What's wrong?"

Several moments later, after the vessel had pulled a few yards away from the harbor, Gohan's eyes widened in realization and he pointed at the girl in shock. "AH! You're the dock worker Rebecca and I spoke with back at Kyon Island!"

Head perking up when she heard Gohan's statement, the pink haired princess looked across at Nami intently. After getting a good look at her face, Rebecca also leapt to her feet in surprise. "Hey! You're right! It _is_ her!"

Realizing that that's what the boy had picked up on while staring at her, Nami gulped nervously, "Yeah. So what?"

"You stole our ship!" Rebecca shouted, pointing at the thief angrily.

"We thought you were a harbor official!" Gohan also added.

The pink haired princess threw her hands down and stomped her foot impatiently. "We were stuck riding the devil's trash receptacle for two weeks because of you!"

" **Hey!"** both Johnny and Yosaku said in unison, but were promptly ignored by the girl and the Saiyan.

Nami then looked away and waved a hand dismissively, "Ah, its fine. Ships get stolen all the time on this ocean. I'm sure you'll be able to find another one." Despite acting like she didn't care, she was obviously aware of the murderous intent now drifting her way from Rebecca and the outrage and upset from Gohan.

"We want it back!" the Saiyan said loudly, at the same time slapping his hand to his chest.

A nervous smile graced the thief's lips, "I'm afraid that's not possible."

Gohan blinked, "Why not?"

"I sunk it."

A look that was a cross between shock and horror appeared on Gohan's face, the Saiyan ending up gawking at the orange haired girl who couldn't help but giggle at his flabbergasted expression. Seeing at how stunned he was, she then reached up with her hand and patted him on the head, as if trying to quell the anger or hurt of an adorable dog.

"Tough luck, handsome," Nami chirped, earning a glare and a snarl from a fuming Rebecca behind her, who did not like how casually she was flirting with Gohan. The resulting exchange between the three earned a laugh from Luffy and a chuckle from Zoro, who continued to lie against the side of the boat completely spent from his battle. Johnny and Yosaku also found great amusement from the feud, and simply observed their battle from their end of the vessel.

"Hold it you lot!" A sudden yell from the shoreline snapped the group out of their reverie, prompting all of the teenagers to turn their attention to the harbor. When they did, they spotted the mayor of the village standing there, still clad in armor and sporting the bruises from what Luffy had done to him. Apparently Boodle was able to make his way around the back roads and get to them before the rest of the village had. "I have something I want to say to you all!" He then took a deep breath, as if preparing to curse them out. But after the group waited patiently for several moments, expecting the worst, they then heard the sweetest words anyone could've said to them. "I owe you all! Thank you! Thank you so much!" At the end, old man Boodle grinned.

The teenagers in the boat beamed in response, the mayor's gratitude making their time on this island worth the bruises and blame they'd suffered. Speaking up for all of them, Luffy stood up and waved, "It's okay! Don't worry about it! Good luck to you all!"

It was then Nami noticed something off and did a quick sweep of the boat, "Hold on a second. Luffy… what happened to the other bag I gave you?"

Not even blinking or hesitating for one second, the grinning Luffy answered, "I left it."

"What?!" the orange haired girl shrieked, rushing over to the boy and grabbing him by his top, "You left it?! Half of the treasure was in there! At least five million beli!"

Despite the girl screaming at his face, the kid in the straw hat merely shrugged, "Well, Buggy did destroy a lot of the village and we did do a bit of the damage ourselves. It would take a lot of money to repair it… especially Shushu's place." His explanation drew warm looks from Gohan and Rebecca, who found his actions both noble and respectable.

Nami however was having none of it, and proceeded to try and push Luffy's head over the side and into the water to drown him. "If you ever, EVER do that again without asking me, I will murder you, Luffy!" Her actions were marked by the kid attempt to push Nami off of him, but much to everyone's surprise she was surprisingly strong.

As Zoro, Johnny and Yosaku laughed at the way the girl was now trying to kill the captain, Gohan took a seat along the edge of the vessel. When Rebecca sat down next to him and shifted over so that she was nearly leaning against him, the Saiyan shared a grin with her before turning to look towards the horizon.

"This adventure is going to be a lot more fun than I thought."

All he needed now was a boat of his own, but he supposed he could stick with this one for the time being.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: God, I loved writing this chapter. When I was watching clips of the Buggy fight, I couldn't stop laughing for five minutes. That shit was priceless.

I love the old episodes and shows. Man, those days will be missed. For now, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one.


	6. Get What You Give

**A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _Get What You Give_

(Several days later)

For the two crews sailing together aboard Nami's 'legally' acquired boat, it'd been a pretty relaxing week for all of them. Since their battle with the Buggy Pirates, not much had happened by way of excitement. Sure, they'd had a couple of stops here and there, with one of them being on a deserted jungle island where they met a man named Gaimon, who'd had his entire body compressed into a treasure chest and was affectionately renamed 'Uncle Cabbage' by Luffy, there really hadn't been anything action-based to get their motors going.

That was probably why a lot of people referred to the East Blue as the weakest sea, because it was so damn peaceful. The only groups who apparently patrolled these waters were fisherman and low-level pirates with high hopes of making it on the Grand Line, but most certainly could not.

Anyway, after another couple days of sailing, the group was starting to get a little restless and stir-crazy, mostly for a fact that there hadn't been much fighting and they were growing a little tired of eating fruits. They'd managed to get plenty of apples, mangoes, bananas and other vegetarian delicacies from Uncle Cabbage's island when they stopped there, but that was really all that there was, and now they were starting to run out.

However, thanks to their brilliant navigator Nami, the group didn't have to worry about being stuck on this boat for too much longer, as they were approaching another landmass, this time one that was inhabited. It would be a couple days of sailing at least, but the group was positive they could gut it out until their arrival.

It wasn't like they had nothing to do. Unlike on Johnny and Yosaku's tiny, floating coffin ARS Driftwood, at least Gohan had room here to stretch his legs. And what better way to kill time then to do a little bit of method training.

Nami's boat, being considerably larger than their last one but nowhere near as big as the brigantine magnificence Gohan had commandeered previously, the deck space was good enough for the Saiyan to run Rebecca through some basic drills. This involved him letting the princess come at him with everything she had while everybody else sat around, watched, and made bets on how long she would last.

With Luffy sitting cross-legged on the very bow end of the ship, Zoro lying back against the side, Johnny and Yosaku sitting across from him, and Nami standing by the dinghy's cabin, the audience had a prime view of a decent spar.

Well, from their perspective it was decent. From Rebecca's, it was downright torturous.

Gohan stood in the middle of a chalk-drawn circle with one hand held forward and his toes pointing inwards, while Rebecca was positioned on the outside, attempting to mimic the same movements. After sizing up her taller foe, the girl with the considerably weighted down orange and blue gi let out a shout and rushed forward, opening up on the Saiyan with a series of swift punches. Her arms cut and swung at her target from various angles, while the Saiyan blocked and deflected her attacks using very smooth, snake-like gestures. When she attempted to spin around and hit him with a low blow to the body, Gohan stepped forward and shoved his forearms into her, knocking the girl off balance and stumbling out of the circle.

Gritting her teeth, Rebecca thrust a series of chain punches at the boy's face, attempting to distract him while she discreetly snapped a kick up at his ribs. Despite her impressive speed, the boy caught her leg, pulled her forward, and weaved a double-palm strike up her leg and into her stomach, knocking her to the deck with a heavy thud.

"Don't do anything fancy, Rebecca. Your attacks are coming in way too wide. I told you; short and sharp," Gohan instructed calmly, watching as the girl rolled over and got to her knees. "Control my central line."

While Rebecca slowly recovered from her fall, Zoro raised an eyebrow at the martial arts techniques the two warriors were using against each other. Though he'd seen his fair share of close combat over the years, this was definitely a new one. "That fighting style is very woman-like. What the heck is it called again?"

"The style is called Wing Chun; a southern martial arts form that combines both the crane and snake styles into a single system of movement," the demi-Saiyan stated, watching as his student finally stood up and retook her stance, "It was originally developed by a female monk and was given its name by the first student who ever learned how to use it, a young woman named Yim Wing-chun, which explains why the form looks the way it is."

"Well, it's certainly effective," Zoro remarked, as he kind of liked what he was seeing.

"It is," Gohan said, a smile tugging at his lips, "My mother taught it to me… so I know it works."

While Nami looked on with wide eyes at how fast the two of them were moving, Johnny and Yosaku, who were also engrossed in the sporting entertainment, leaned towards one another discreetly.

"Ten beli says she goes down in eight moves," the man in sunglasses whispered.

"Twenty says she goes down in ten," the one in the headgear replied.

"You're on."

Once Rebecca was back on her feet, she slowly slid her foot across the floor into the Bui Ma stance, at the same time balling her hands into fists, which she positioned defensively in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly edged forward, closing the gap between her and her teacher.

"Remember, it's not always about being aggressive. To defeat your opponent quickly in this form, you have to know _when_ to attack and _where_ ," the Saiyan informed with an encouraging smile. "Lin Sil Die Dar. Simultaneous attack and defense."

Nodding as sweat dribbled down her face, the pink haired princess stepped in, moving with brisk, controlled movements. She cut at the boy with a series of quick strikes, their arms becoming entangled in a battle for dominance as both attacked and parried at the same time. At first she seemed to be doing well. But as their dance continued, Gohan started to grab and lock up her arms using well-timed, flexible, and relaxed movements.

When she thrust a left at him, he caught her arm, pulled it forward and threw a backhand at her neck, which he purposefully stopped from actually hitting her. Rebecca then turned in with a right uppercut, using it to distract him to free her other arm, only to have Gohan grab it and cross her arms over, entangling them. After pulling her right over his shoulder, he tapped her stomach with his elbow. "Touch!" He then rammed the same elbow into her neck under her chin, only for the girl to push it away with her left. This allowed Gohan to turn into her and tap her with a second chop to the neck. "Touch!" When she drove her right palm into his shoulder, he withdrew his left, gripped the wrist and pulled her forward, at the same time cutting across her throat with an elbow… twice. "Touch!" Swinging her left forward, Rebecca tried to grab his arm, but the boy already had full control of her limbs. He used her momentum to lock both arms over her body. As soon as he did, he threw both his fists into her stomach and chest, shoving her back. "Double touch!"

As the princess staggered away with a gasp, Gohan grabbed both her arms and pulled her forward, before latching onto both sides of her face and pushing his thumbs into her eyes lightly. Rebecca thrust her hands upwards to knock his away, only to leave her wide open to a chain punch combo that he ran up her chest before slapping her face repeatedly, sending her stumbling. When Rebecca looked back, her expression reflected both confusion and alarm, before she recovered quickly and rushed forward once again with another series of punches.

Gohan parried all of her blows, not even moving an inch inside his circle as he caught the back of her neck and thrust his knuckles into her throat. He then grabbed her arms and yanked her forward into a knee, gently doubling her over before grabbing her forehead from behind and turning her into the floor. As soon as he deposited her to the deck, Gohan threw a punch at her body before unleashing chain punches at her head, stopping seconds later without even touching her once.

When Rebecca looked up to see Gohan's fist hovering an inch above her temple, the Saiyan grinned at her. "And that's how you do it."

As Luffy cheered gleefully and Nami applauded, Yosaku and Johnny were looking at each other in confusion.

"So… how many moves was that?" the one in the sunglasses asked.

"Six," Nami answered. When the swordsmen looked up and saw the orange haired girl standing over them, she then held a hand out and wagged her fingers. "If you please." Groaning, the pair of bounty hunters reached into their pockets and pulled out thirty beli each, before handing it over to the navigator. Nami giggled at the cash and began flipping through it casually with her finger. "Thank you."

When Gohan gave her his hand, Rebecca smiled and took it gladly. After being pulled to her feet, the princess held onto his palm for a few seconds longer than was necessary, before taking a step back and placing her knuckles into her palm in a sign of respect. "Thank you for the lesson, Gohan-kun."

"Anytime," the Saiyan chirped, before slowly turning his attention to Nami, who'd just finished counting her winnings. "So… what exactly are you guys planning to do when we get to the next island? Obviously I want to try and find a ship for Rebecca and myself… and maybe get some more information while we're at it."

His intentions drew a thoughtful look from the orange haired thief, "We pretty much want to do the same thing. Even though I'm not officially part of the crew, I still want to help these two knuckleheads out so that they don't accidentally end up wandering off the edge of the planet."

While Zoro scoffed, Luffy simply snickered and, reaching across the boat with his rubbery arm, grabbed an apple sitting at the top of an open barrel.

Looking about their ship, Nami frowned in disappointment. "There's no way you guys are going to make it to the Grand Line in your condition."

Yosaku glanced across at the female navigator. "Huh? How come?"

"A lot of reasons," Nami answered, turning to glare at the two bounty hunters who were currently looking up at her like a pair of lost children. "Firstly, the boat we're sailing on won't even get us past the next couple of islands on the East Blue, let alone the Grand Line. Since the stretch of ocean we're aiming for is practically the most dangerous place in the world, there's a good chance this little tub will end up broken in half the moment it gets hit by its first storm. Not to mention there are a ton of pirates out there looking for One Piece, and you can bet all the beli in the world that they will definitely have more powerful ships."

Sitting down on the edge of the boat with his arms crossed, Gohan used that opportunity to shoot Nami a dirty look, "Which was the reason why I was happy with the vessel that I had before you decided to… ahem, _borrow_ it from me on Kyon Island."

Still feeling a tad bit guilty for taking the teen's ship, the orange haired navigator looked back at the unhappy Saiyan with a frown. "I already said I was sorry. Geez. How long are you going to hold that over me?"

"Long enough." Gohan then threw Nami a mischievous grin, "While we're on the subject of transportation, how exactly do you plan on paying me back for taking mine?"

"I'll…" Nami blushed, as the look and tone the dashing rogue was throwing her was making her feel a tad bit uncomfortable, "I'll think of something. Don't worry about it." When Gohan snickered, the girl stuck her tongue out at him before clearing her throat. "Anyway, aside from finding a suitable ship, we're also short on supplies and crew members."

"Yeah," Luffy spoke cheerfully from the front of the ship, perched right over the spot where the figurehead would be. He then plucked the apple core he had from his mouth. "We already have the map to the Grand Line, and a ton of fresh water and fruit. But we're going to need some meat if we're ever going to make it that far."

Zoro cracked a smile, "Some sake would be nice too." He then had an apple thrown at him by Nami, who caught it when it bounced off of his forehead and went right back to her.

"There are more important things to worry about than alcohol," Nami informed with an annoyed glimmer in her eyes. She then tossed the apple to Gohan, who caught it and proceeded to eat it. "Not only are we lacking manpower, but we're also missing a ton of equipment, and adequate planning and storage space needed for that kind of journey. Man. How have you two survived this long on your own?"

Rubbing his head, Zoro then pointed across at Johnny and Yosaku. "Just like those two. Dumb luck."

For some reason, the man with the tattoo and sunglasses couldn't help but grin proudly. "And we've got plenty of it to go around." His answer had not only Nami sweat drop, but Gohan and Rebecca as well.

Nami threw her hands in the air, "Unbelievable." So not only was she sailing with a captain that had an IQ of a beach ball, but a swordsman who was more brawn than brains and common sense, and a pair of counterweights that were just as thickheaded as the ringleader. As of right now, the only people who actually seemed competent on this tub were the spiky haired wanderer in the tight black shirt and his pink haired apprentice, neither of whom were actually pestering her every two hours to join their crew.

"Nami's right," Rebecca remarked, looking across at Luffy and Zoro to see the former grab another apple from the open barrel and continue munching. "The Grand Line isn't a place you want to take lightly. Aside from the marines, pirates and mercenary groups patrolling the waters, there are also vicious creatures, flesh-eating diseases, ancient terrors, hallucinogenic mists, atmospheric anomalies, and aquatic predators of unimaginable sizes dominating those seas. Only the most powerful and prepared individuals can ever hope to survive in those territories, and even then it's still a risky venture."

This information that Rebecca had to give the crew earned mixed reactions from those who were listening. Yosaku and Johnny's faces turned a ghostly white, Nami and Zoro were gaping in horror, and Luffy was simply staring at her with a confused expression on his face.

When Gohan finally processed the princess's words, the teen smiled and pointed across at her, " _That's_ why she's my first mate." His declaration earned a deep blush from Rebecca, who then tucked some strands of hair behind her ear.

Upon learning of the other things waiting for them on the Grand Line, Johnny swallowed nervously and glanced across at Yosaku, "D-Did she just say flesh-eating diseases?"

"Yeah. I think she did." After staring across at his friend for a moment, the two bounty hunters then leapt out of their seats and scampered over to Gohan, whom they then knelt before in a pleading manner. "Please, Gohan-aniki! You must reconsider!"

"A great man like you shouldn't go to a place like that!" Johnny continued with desperation reflected in his glasses. "You and Rebecca-aneue will be killed… or worse!"

After leaning away from the pair's string of frantic exclamations, the demi-Saiyan grinned and waved a hand in front of him, "It's alright guys. I know what I'm doing." He then gestured towards Rebecca, who came to sit beside him with a warm smile across her lips. "As long as I've got her with me, the two of us will be able to make it across the Grand Line and back without any problems whatsoever. Hell, we might even be able to do a full lap of the planet, if the stars align correctly."

Looking between Gohan and Rebecca, the two swordsmen bit their lips.

"A-Are you sure?" Yosaku asked.

"Positive," Gohan answered, crossing his arms and nudging Rebecca in the side. "I'm putting my full trust and faith in my closest friend." He then chuckled when he looked back at the pair kneeling in front of him. "Besides, it's not like you guys are going to be tagging along with us. I'm sure you've got plans of your own, right?"

Johnny appeared confused, "Plans?"

The Saiyan nodded affirmatively. "Yeah. You know… bounties to catch, criminals to reel in, and people to save?" Gohan said, grinning broadly at the pair. "Isn't that what you guys said you wanted to do ever since you came out onto these waters?"

"To make the seas a safer place to live?" Rebecca asked.

Hearing this drew a couple of blinks from the two men, who shared one last look with each other before laughing nervously. When they stood up, both of them assumed positions of confidence and reassurance, while at the same time scratching their heads.

"Y-Yeah," Johnny chuckled.

"You're right, aniki. Of course it is," Yosaku also exclaimed, trying to sound certain of his answer.

From what Gohan and Rebecca could tell however, both men didn't seem too confident in their words or decisions. It was almost like they were having serious doubts about their futures or something. Nevertheless, the pair's hesitant remarks had the two young adventurers stare at the swordsmen momentarily, before the Saiyan decided to continue collating information on their next plan of attack. When Johnny and Yosaku finally stopped postulating, Gohan pulled the diary he had stowed away in his obi and flipped it open for consideration.

Tilting his head after finally processing Rebecca's recount of the numerous dangers of the Grand Line, Luffy huffed stubbornly. "I don't see what the big problem is. Giant monsters and fish… I can just beat all of those things up." This earned a smack over the head from Nami's staff, which bounced the kid's face off of the bow of the ship.

"This is serious, dummy!" Nami practically shouted, watching as the captain looked back up with a hilarious bruise forming out of the top of his straw hat.

"Unlike you, Rebecca actually comes from the Grand Line… from an island past the Red Line no less. So she knows better than anyone here exactly what we're getting into," Zoro said, leaning forward and resting his arm across one of his swords like it was some kind of walking stick. "We should listen to what she has to say. It might come in handy."

Grunting and scowling like a child, after looking around at the concerned faces of the people surrounding him, Luffy eventually conceded defeat and crossed his arms. "Fine." He then looked up in determination. "We're going to need a bigger ship and a bigger crew… including a chef, a doctor… and a musician."

Nami sweat dropped while Zoro snickered, "A musician? Seriously?"

Luffy nodded affirmatively. "That's right. We can't have an awesome boat without a musician."

After staring at the boy with an impending fear of misfortune to come, the orange haired navigator then glanced longing across at Gohan, who she could see was now talking to Rebecca, along with Johnny and Yosaku who'd come to stand beside them. When she saw him open up his diary and begin showing them his notes, Nami sighed heavily. _"Maybe I'll be better off joining Gohan-kun's crew."_ Surely there were some benefits she could gain from being under his banner.

Unlike Luffy, he was actually taking this venture seriously and seemed like he was coming up with some kind of plan. The fact that he also wasn't openly referring to himself as a pirate was even more appealing.

That and his good looks, the last of which was a personal bonus for the professional cat burglar.

After making a couple more important notes in his book, Gohan then snapped it shut and looked across at the others. "Alright. It's settled. As soon as we get to the next island, we're going to find two ships that will be able to take us onto the Grand Line; one for my group and one for Luffy's." He directed this statement towards the three members of the allied team. "Does that sound good to you guys?"

Hearing this had a smile tug at Nami's lips, "Yeah. It does."

"Hell yes!" Luffy cheered, at the same time punching the air above him, "I want to get the biggest, bestest ship out there! One with an awesome kitchen and a cool figurehead!"

"Not to mention a quiet place to sleep," Zoro added, closing his eyes and grinning pensively.

The men's responses drew laughs and chuckles from Gohan and Rebecca. As their amusement started to peter out, the Saiyan took a moment to survey the crew and think more about the people he'd come to associate with over the past couple of weeks.

Luffy was a kind person, impulsive, ambitious, with dreams of becoming the greatest pirate in the world. To Gohan, the teen's personality reminded him a lot of his father's, as he'd shown he could be extremely compassionate, especially to those he regarded as nakama. He was also friendly, oddly charismatic, and high in spirit. What's more, even though he did have his moments, it was obvious to everyone who'd met Luffy that the kid lacked a certain level of common sense and wasn't all that bright. For most people, they would immediately write the guy off as an idiot; someone who lacked the capacity for survival or even the most basic of life's problem solving. However, while some of this was indeed true, Gohan thought Luffy was more simple and straightforward, rather than a person who was stupid. He was true to his nature and steadfast in his beliefs, which was something the Saiyan respected above all else.

Zoro on the other hand was lazy. That was the trait that stuck out the most for Gohan regarding the swordsman. When he wasn't moving around or doing anything important, the guy was either sleeping or training. Hell, he even showed he could do both at the same time, which was what Gohan had discovered a few days earlier when he came across the man lifting weights and having a power nap at the back of the boat, much to his and Nami's amusement. Though Zoro did have a gruff and intimidating appearance, he was a nice guy whom Gohan and Rebecca immediately developed a liking towards. He was fierce, tough, determined, and extremely loyal, as all of them had found out that before meeting Luffy the man hunted pirates for a living; a fact that Johnny and Yosaku were already well aware of. The guy also had one hell of a goal; to become the greatest swordsman in the world. When they heard this, the ever supportive Gohan wished the man the best of luck, as he really wanted to see both him and Luffy succeed.

Nami was rather mysterious. Though she came off as being tough and dependable, someone who favored caution over bullheaded thinking, Gohan knew that behind her lone wolf exterior that she was hiding something from them. Though he wanted to learn more about the girl's past and where she came from, the Saiyan chose not to press her about it for fear of upsetting her. After all, next to her sly, serious and cheeky demeanor, the girl was also incredibly smart and nice. Gohan got along with her instantly. Though it took him a while to find out what Nami's dream was, the Z-fighter eventually learned that she wanted to draw a map of the world, something that he was incredibly fascinated by and stated that he would help her to accomplish this goal. She needed only ask. It was this particular remark that had Nami blush and stammer embarrassingly for a full minute, which Gohan found particularly cute.

Johnny and Yosaku were two of a kind. Both of them acted like veritable tough guys and took advantage of every opportunity to show off their mad skills. However, even though they seemed amazing, the reality was that the pair weren't as great as they thought they were and, when compared to Luffy and the others, were leagues behind them in strength, ability and intelligence. They weren't that strong, they weren't that smart, and even though they were able to make it this far across the East Blue on their own, they didn't really know much about surviving on the seas either. However, behind all their posturing, stumbling and cowardice, Gohan saw a heart of gold in the two men. Much to his surprise, he'd actually developed quite a liking to them too.

Aside from helping them out during a time when both he and Rebecca were at a loss, the pair of swordsmen showed that they could pull their weight when they really needed to, which gave the Saiyan hope that he would be able to see a lot more out of the dynamic duo in the future.

As for Rebecca, well, Gohan knew everything he needed to know about her right now. Fiercely loyal, kind, compassionate, levelheaded, and possessing a spirit that the Saiyan greatly admired, the princess had the makings of an amazing leader and an equally amazing warrior. Though at first she came off as timid and someone who was unsure of their own strength, over the past month Gohan noticed Rebecca was becoming more and more confident with her abilities. It was something he was determined to support over the course of their ten-thousand league journey. What's more, the princess was an absolute joy to hang around, as Gohan appreciated her company and loved the talks they were able to share during their moments of peace. It was even better that she was picking up an even bolder vernacular, making her banter with the others more interesting.

That was a real pleasure to watch.

"Hey! I see land!" Luffy called out, bringing his hand over his eyes as an island appeared over the horizon.

"Really?" Johnny asked, also rushing to the front to take a look. "Man. Finally. Is that the one that we were headed for?"

"Yep," Nami answered proudly from the back, pulling out her map and giving it a quick scan. "That is the land mass part of the Gecko Island chain."

"Hmm… interesting," Gohan murmured thoughtfully, before quickly looking up towards the sky. "I wonder how big it is." He then wordlessly leapt off of the boat and flew up to a decent height, several dozen stories above the boat. When he finally got a good view of the island that they were steadily approaching, the young Saiyan cracked a smile and nodded. "Awesome. I'll definitely be able to stretch my legs on those hills." He then descended to a few feet above the dinghy and smiled down at his friends. "We should be there in a few minutes." He then blinked when he noticed all of them, except Rebecca, were gaping up at him. "What?"

"Gohan…" Nami stammered, "Y-You can fly? Like, you can actually, _literally_ fly?"

Blinking when he heard the girl's question loud and clear, Gohan nodded, "Well, yeah. Didn't I tell y-?" He then recoiled when a thought crossed his mind and he slapped himself in the head. "Ah. Crap. I forgot. You guys didn't know I could do that."

Zoro, whose eyes had been close to bugging out of their sockets, then pointed up at the teenager lamely, "How?"

A nervous chuckle left Gohan's lips as he settled back down on deck in front of everyone, "It's a little bit hard to explain. I would have to show you a few of the tricks behind it and… well… that might take me a while."

"WOW!" Luffy, Johnny and Yosaku all shouted at once, scampering up to the Saiyan in excitement. "Please tell us! Please, please, please!"

Questions like 'can you touch the clouds' and 'how fast can you go' started bouncing off of the Saiyan's head left and right. After several seconds of being bombarded from all directions, especially when Nami leapt up to him to grab him by the back and shake him, Gohan then stepped away to get some air and grinned.

"Okay, okay. If you guys just settle down for a couple of minutes, I promise I'll tell you everything I can," the demi-Saiyan laughed. Almost all at once, the four frantic sailors immediately sat down in front of him and began staring at the teen like a bunch of school children. The sight actually drew a chuckle from Zoro and a giggle from Rebecca, both of whom were choosing to sit back and let Gohan take the lead in this one.

What followed from that point was a lot of spiritual energy jargon that Luffy didn't understand one bit and had Johnny and Yosaku nodding their heads vaguely at every word that came out of the Saiyan's mouth. The only one who really followed everything that Gohan had to say was Nami, who was able to get the gist of the technical side behind his ability to levitate. By the time he was done talking about the minute details of his technique, the boat had already reached the shore of the island, allowing the group to jump off and walk across solid ground for the first time in days.

As everybody took a moment to stretch and bask under the sun, Luffy, Gohan and Nami used the next couple of minutes to survey the area. Almost immediately, the three of them started getting a very peaceful vibe from the island.

The rubber skinned pirate laughed as he admired the cliffs in front of them, "This place looks so nice."

"No doubt," Zoro answered with a yawn, "It seems like ages since we last set foot on land."

After stretching and kicking her legs out, a cheerful Rebecca hopped over to Gohan and prodded him in the arm. When the Saiyan turned to her, the girl quickly pointed at her uniform. "Could you add some more weight to my gi, Gohan-kun? I'd really like to get some more muscle training in while we're on solid ground."

"Sure. No problem," the demi-Saiyan chirped, holding his hand towards the princess and hitting her with a flash of blue light. Her wrist bands, pants, tops and boots lit up, seconds before the girl felt an immediate increase in mass on her person. "Alright. You've just been bumped up another ten kilograms on all items."

"Sweet," Rebecca giggled, bringing her arms up and throwing a few fast punches. Having to put effort behind her movements due to the outfit's immense weight put an excited look on her face, "This will definitely help me improve my speed."

Staring across at the girl for a moment while his friend clumsily fell off of the boat, Johnny pointed at the pink-haired princess, "Hold on a second, aniki… are you saying Rebecca-aneue is wearing weighted clothing?"

"Yep. It's all part of the training I'm giving her," Gohan answered, placing his hands on his hips while the swordsman in sunglasses stared at them. "I'm able to adjust the mass and density of the clothing I create, as well as any other item I can produce."

"Okay. Exactly how much is she wearing right now?" Johnny asked, appearing terrified of the answer.

Giving the girl a quick once over to see her skipping on the spot to adjust to the new conditions, the half-Saiyan fighter shrugged, "Just over a hundred and fifty kilograms, give or take a few ounces."

The bounty hunter's eyes almost bugged right through the lenses of his shades, "Are you kidding me?" When he saw both Gohan and Rebecca shake their heads, the man then gaped at the two of them as if they were mad, as did Yosaku.

Deciding to let that news flash percolate in the two swordsmen's heads, Gohan then looked across to see the rest of the crew inspecting the beach and cliffs. "So the town is a little bit up that way?" the demi-Saiyan asked, at the same time pointing towards the road leading away from the coastline.

"Uh-huh. It's about a couple clicks away from this shore. Even though it's a small settlement, I'm certain we'll be able to find something of use there," Nami informed, once again checking out her map before slipping it into the pouch hanging from her belt. After feeling around a bit, she then drew the small capsule sitting at the bottom of the holder and looked down at it. Upon which she threw a smile across at Gohan. "Thanks for helping me store away my treasure. Seriously. It was a big help."

The spiky haired martial artist beamed. "No problem. I figured you wouldn't want to leave so much cash behind while we're out exploring the islands. After all, there's a lot of crooked people and thieves around these parts," the Saiyan answered, at the same time giving her a playful wink. "Putting it all in a capsule is the best way to carry valuables around."

After a slightly blushing Nami gave the boy a warm smile, the group's attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere when Zoro stepped forward and pushed his sword up from its scabbard with his thumb. While everyone initially appeared confused by his actions, Gohan quickly clued into what had gotten the man's attention and narrowed his eyes as well, with Rebecca following suit soon after.

"Careful," Zoro informed as his eyes shifted over the cliffs, "We're not alone."

As Rebecca reached for the staff on her back, her eyes widened and she leapt to the side. "Look out!" All of a sudden, the ground at Luffy, Yosaku and Johnny's feet was peppered by a series of fast-moving projectiles, causing the group of men to dance about in panic. Gohan simply stood in place, looking oddly down at the 'bullets' being shot at their feet, before then turning towards the rock face.

Moments later, both crews saw a series of flags pop out of the bushes along the high ground, all black and emblazoned with the same white skull-and-crossbones symbol, which seemed pretty generic. As soon as the flags were raised, a teenager with a long nose, a head of black curly hair covered by a bandana and goggles, and sporting a pair of brown overalls, boots and a sash, appeared at the precipice with his arms crossed and a self-important look slapped across his face, which was matched only by his arrogant grin.

The stranger cackled broadly under the banner of his two dozen raised flags. "Invaders beware! I am the leader of the great pirate crew that conquered this village and this entire island! Everyone praises me and addresses me as the great Captain Usopp!" Following his epic introduction, the man threw his arms out grandly, "If you're thinking of attacking this place, forget it! My 80 million men and I will make sure you don't set one foot off of this beach!"

While Luffy, Johnny and Yosaku simultaneously cried out in awe and gripped their faces in sheer terror, Gohan, Zoro, Nami and Rebecca just stared up at the strange looking kid with deadpanned expressions. Upon which an amused giggle left the princess's lips.

"That's definitely a lie," Rebecca remarked.

"There is no way an island this small could support eighty million people," Nami stated, at the same time throwing a smirk at their attacker. "I doubt there is a pirate crew on this island with that many members anyway."

At that, the once confident 'Captain' Usopp then slapped his hands to his head in panic, "WAH! I've been found out!"

While the entire group sweat-dropped, Gohan raised an eyebrow, "It doesn't help that you just told us."

By this point, the stranger with the long nose looked like he was on the verge of a complete freak-out, crying out at the top of his lungs and waving his body from side-to-side, "You saw through it! I can't believe it! This is bad!" With everyone looking up at him strangely, Usopp quickly regained his composure and returned fire with another grin. "Well… 80 million might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but I have many strong and powerful companions!" When a majority of the flags dropped, Usopp then gestured to one side of the cliffs, where about six banners could still be seen bobbing about.

Gohan and the others looked towards them, where the Saiyan quickly spotted through the bushes a group of three kids, with hair styles resembling an onion, a carrot, and a pepper respectively. They all looked incredibly terrified, as indicated by how much the flag poles were shaking.

A snicker left Nami's lips, "All three of them?"

" **WAAAH! She found out!"** the boys cried at once, before dropping their flags and running for the hills. Usopp yelled out for them to stay, which almost led to him falling off the cliff.

While all this was going on, Rebecca knelt down and picked up one of the 'bullets' lying in the sand. Johnny and Yosaku did so as well, which ended in them staring at the ammunition in confusion. "A pirate who uses pachinko?" the princess murmured, before a smile crossed her lips. "I've never heard of such a thing before."

Luffy laughed at the top of his lungs, placing his hands on his hips. "You're pretty funny. I like you."

A snarl left Usopp's mouth as he pulled out a slingshot and drew back on the elastic, "Don't laugh at me! I'm a man of great pride and self-importance! Because of it, everyone calls me Usopp, the Proud!" He then took aim directly at Luffy, whose smile dropped when he saw he was being targeted. "As you just saw, my skill with a pachinko is far better than a pistol!"

As Luffy narrowed his eyes and the others on the ground gripped their weapons firmly, Gohan, deciding things have gone far enough, vanished in a blur and reappeared directly in front of Usopp. The sharpshooter was stunned, as was the rest of the crew on the beach, who looked between the pair on the cliff and the spot where the demi-Saiyan had once stood.

"H-How did he do that?" Yosaku muttered in shock, having never seen someone move that fast before. It was almost like he'd teleported.

Standing an inch in front of the shocked teen's firearm, the Saiyan smiled down at him, "If you're so sure, give me your best shot." He saw the young man take a terrified step back, "And just FYI, the people you're trying to shoot at are _real_ pirates. Taking them on won't be so easy."

For several seconds Usopp stood there, trembling in his boots while considering whether or not he should take the risk and fire. However, after staring up at the confident teen's face and glancing down at the group on the sand, the teenager relinquished his hold on his weapon, and let both himself and his weapon drop to the grass. Usopp sniffled, "A true pirate's speech is much more intimidating. Incredible."

Cracking a smile, Gohan then threw his hands behind his head and jumped off of the cliff. When he landed on the sand, the demi-Saiyan then decided to make his way towards the road, with Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku right on his heels. "Those kids ran back to town, right? Well, I'm hungry and I'd like to have a look around."

Hopefully they had some good food for them to try out.

OOO

(Sometime later)

The two crews made it to Syrup Village, where after a little bit of searching, they managed to come across a small tavern sitting beside the main road. The reason the group wanted to stop here was pretty simple. A) Because it was small, and B) because it had a sign with the word 'Meshi' written over the front door, which pretty much translated to 'Food'. Upon taking their seats in a couple of booths along the window, the eight teenagers didn't hesitate in ordering every single item on the menu and buckled down for one hell of a buffet.

As soon as the food was delivered to them, Gohan wasted no time in blowing through three whole servings alongside Luffy, with Johnny, Yosaku and Zoro joining one another in a round of alcoholic beverages. The only people who ate somewhat respectively at that table were Rebecca, Nami and Usopp, with the latter digging in at a fair pace himself. After having nothing but fruit and canned food for the past however number of days they were actually stuck out on the ocean, the crew was obviously overjoyed to have something well-cooked for a change. This further encouraged the idea in Luffy to find a chef and have him join his crew as soon as possible, as he wanted someone who could make enormous meat dishes like the ones he was now having.

All talk on finding a decent enough cook would have to wait however, as Gohan and his entourage soon learned that Luffy actually knew Usopp's father. Apparently the man was recruited years ago by Shanks to become the pirate's top marksman, and has been sailing around the seas with the legendary red-headed brigand ever since. It brought much joy to Usopp to learn that his father was part of such an amazing group and serving under such a respected captain, and definitely made their storytelling hour at the cubicle something to remember. Even Gohan and Rebecca were entertained by the recounts being passed around the tables.

This eventually led to their next topic, which was finding a good enough vessel to take them across the Grand Line and beyond. As it turns out, Usopp had an idea of a place they could go and ask for one.

"The mansion, huh?" Johnny asked through a mouthful of chicken wings. "You guys planning on hitting up the owners to see if you can get your hands on a ship?"

"Yep," Luffy chirped, swallowing the food in his mouth to grin at the allied crew sitting across from them. "I want the best damn boat I can get my hands on! I don't care if they say _no_ first; I'll just keep asking them until they give me one!" Though his words were incredibly selfish, his enthusiasm still managed to draw a few good snickers out of a listening Gohan and Rebecca.

Stuffing his own face with dumplings, Yosaku also tilted his head curiously while his cheeks were puffed out, "Isn't there any other places around here we can try?" Of course, he directed this question towards the long-nosed shooter that'd brought them to this place.

Usopp sighed and shook his head at the swordsmen, "Unfortunately, no. Even though this village has a lot to offer visitors, it is still a very small village. That mansion at the top of the hill is the only place on this island where you can even think about getting a ship."

His words had Nami's eyes light up and turn to the man eagerly, "Is there a chance they'll be able to give us some financial support as well?" The radiance she was emitting had Usopp lean away from her warily.

"No. Of course not," the man replied firmly, before clearing his throat. "Anyway, even if you do put in a request for one, I doubt the people up there will be very inclined to give you a boat."

Zoro raised an eyebrow, "Why not? Do you know the people up in that mansion?"

Rubbing the back of his head nervously, the long-nosed sharpshooter shrugged, "Kinda. There's this girl named Kaya who lives in that mansion that I visit quite frequently. Her parents were the owners of the property, who made their fortune from the island's farmlands and shipping trades. When they passed away, she inherited everything from them, including the land and docks."

When Usopp grinned sheepishly at the former bounty hunter, Nami tilted her head curiously. "So… what's the problem? Couldn't you just ask her for a ship on our behalf?"

A frown marred Usopp's visage. "Even though we're good friends, I couldn't possibly ask her for something so unreasonable," the sniper retorted seriously. "She may be rich, but Kaya is bedridden from a really bad illness. If I was to ask her for a boat from her family's homestead, I would just be taking advantage of her kindness… and _Usopp the Honorable_ does not use friends that way!" He said the last part loudly while thumping his chest in a show of manly machismo.

Hearing the boy's sincere words drew a long sigh from Rebecca, who then gave the sharpshooter a warm smile, "How romantic." It was a remark that earned nods of agreement from Johnny, Yosaku and Gohan, and an eye-roll from the emotionally retardant Zoro.

After which, Gohan smiled at the young man, "So… how'd you come to associate with a girl like that?"

By this point Luffy and Zoro were no longer listening as they were too busy indulging themselves in the new serving of meat and sake that'd been brought to the table. While they gorged, Usopp went on to explain how he and Kaya came to know one another, following her parents' tragic deaths. He also said how lonely she was from being stuck inside and how he often visited her to keep her company. When he was finished, Nami was now having second thoughts about their current course of action.

"You know what… we can go somewhere else to get a ship," the thief spoke with a smile. "We don't need to bother your friend for one."

Luffy groaned, "Aww… how come?" This earned him a rap on the head from his temporary navigator.

"Don't be like that," Nami said with a growl. "We're not going to trouble a girl who is ill for a boat she probably doesn't have. So get over it."

While Nami was scolding Luffy, and Zoro was in the process of downing another drink, Usopp's head then perked up and grinned across at the three travelers. "Hey. You guys mentioned that you were looking for other companions, right?"

Nursing his swollen head, the rubber-skinned Luffy then looked up at the sharpshooter inquisitively, "That's right. Do you know anyone on this island who would like to join us?"

A smug grin then pulled across the teenager's face. This then led to Usopp ramming a thumb into his chest, "Let me be the captain and I'll join you."

At first the crew remained silent, all of them staring at the slingshot user as if he'd just grown a second and more interesting head. When Gohan and his table started to snicker, Nami and Luffy turned away with blank expressions in play. _**"Forget it,"**_ they both answered at the same time. This earned an indignant shout from the man in overalls for being rejected so easily, which only added fuel to the laughter of the men and woman at the other table.

Eventually when their chortling died down and the discussion revolved back to the ship, Usopp then looked out the window and excused himself. Telling them that the tavern owner will give them a good price, as he was a close acquaintance of his, he then scampered out the door. While Gohan and the others returned to their respective meals, the group failed to notice a cloaked figure sitting at the end of the bar, drinking tentatively from a glass of cider.

Unlike their group, who were not at all afraid to let their presence known, this particular individual with the delicate fingers did everything possible not to draw attention to themselves, as they quietly surveyed the conversation taking place over in the two opposing booths in the restaurant. Even the tavern owner didn't pay the stranger any mind, as the old man was too busy reading from the day's newspaper.

Taking a look out the window, Gohan quickly became fascinated by the rolling hills and farmlands he could see beyond the panes. "It's so peaceful out here. The first town I visited on this ocean was packed and full of people that were traveling from all over. But this place reminds of the mountain settlements where I grew up."

Nami smiled and leaned towards the demi-Saiyan lying back in the seat's cushions, "I know, right? The village is so calm and quiet, it almost makes you want to go out, find a comfortable spot under a tree, and fall asleep."

"Just like the home I was raised in," Rebecca sighed, propping her chin on her hand while admiring the sweeping fields.

Their collective remarks drew a curious look from Yosaku, "By the way, Gohan… where exactly do you come from?"

"Yeah. We never got around to asking you that," Luffy spoke, swallowing his food and turning his full attention to the demi-Saiyan. "You're not like any East Blue person I've ever met… and I've met a lot."

Rubbing his eye out with his thumb, Gohan let out a bit of a laugh. "That's because I don't come from anywhere on this sea. In fact, I come from somewhere off the edge of the map… way out there in the darkness." He said this while dramatically waving towards the back of the store. "Not even the best navigator in the world will be able to find the place where I come from."

At that comment, a smirk crossed Nami's lips, "That sounds like a challenge." This earned a mischievous grin from the Saiyan in return.

Luffy hummed thoughtfully before perking up with a possible answer, "Do you… live on the borders of the map? Like, on those weird squiggly lines and circles that I see on the edges of Nami's papers?"

Realizing the teen was referring to the literal borders of the parchments had Nami, Zoro and Gohan face-plant the tables, which was quickly followed by a sheepish laugh from the Z-fighter. "Not… exactly, Luffy. I'm talking about a place that's not even on this planet."

This fact immediately had everyone's attention, with Zoro being the first to voice his opinion on the matter, "Are you telling us that you're… some kind of alien?" he asked with a skeptical frown.

Nami laughed out loud at this, which drew a few odd glances from the people scattered around the tavern. "What?! No. There's no way someone like Gohan could be an alien," the thief exclaimed between chuckles, "That would be just… just-" When she noticed the unflinching stare on the Saiyan's face, the orange haired girl's smile faded. "Wait… you're serious?"

Before the Z-fighter could open his mouth, Rebecca spoke up in his place, so as to save the teenager from repeating himself, "Gohan-kun comes from another world; with a big ocean and many nations linked together by a single continent." She then picked up the glass of water next to her and beamed. "He's human just like you and me, but he comes from a dimension unlike any that we've explored." It was this statement that earned a subtle wince from the demi-Saiyan, but one that went on unnoticed by the people sitting around him.

"A different dimension, huh?" Zoro commented, while Luffy, Yosaku and Johnny just looked confused. The man then chuckled, "That's a first. What's the deal? Did you stumble upon some sort of spiritual gate or doorway or something? Or did you fall into some kind of hole?" Honestly, he should've been more surprised than he was. But with his background and current experience, he really wasn't.

Lacing all of his fingers together, Gohan let out a heavy sigh, "Honestly, I'm not sure." His expression then became slightly serious. "That's something I'm still trying to figure out."

Nami then looked at Gohan with an appraising eye, "So what exactly did you do before you ended up in our world?"

Sensing her prying tone, the Saiyan threw the navigator a mischievous look, "Unfortunately, that's a story I'm going to have to save for another time." This earned him a pout from the curious thief, with Johnny, Yosaku and Luffy groaning in disappointed. Seeing their reactions put a grin on Gohan's face. "I know. I'm a bastard."

For some reason, the stranger in the hooded cloak took this as their incentive to leave. Paying and tipping the tavern owner, the person stood up from their chair and walked to the exit. When they got there, they had to quickly step to the side when a trio of kids came bursting into the restaurant. When they sprinted over to Luffy's booth, the mysterious figure left, allowing the entrance to swing closed behind them.

" _ **The Usopp Pirate Gang is here!"**_ The three kids revealed themselves to be the same children that were with Usopp when the crew first landed on the beach, dressed in the same clothes but with wooden swords in hand.

Gohan and the others stared at them.

"What the hell?" Johnny asked no one in particular, having been in the middle of finishing off his drink.

The kid with the onion haircut looked around in confusion, "W-Where's the captain?"

"Yeah! Where is he?" the one with the carrot top demanded.

Luffy groaned loudly and patted his stomach, completely oblivious to the youngsters standing next to their table. "Ah! That meat was delicious?"

"M-Meat?"

"You don't think they-" the one with the pepper cut spoke, while gulping at the same time.

While Gohan's table couldn't help but smile and Nami stifled a giggle, Zoro decided to entertain the children and, with a devilish look appearing on his face, leered at the group. "Your captain? Oh… we ate him," the man whispered darkly.

" _ **AHHH! ONIBABA!"**_ the trio of youngsters cried out, for some reason having their attention set squarely on Nami.

The navigator immediately took offense to this and screamed at them, "Why the hell are you looking at me?!" Her outburst caused the kids to faint, the three of them collapsing to the floor amidst the laughter of Zoro, Luffy, and the entirety of Gohan's table. The ticked off Nami then directed her ire at the others, "Damn it! This is all _your_ doing!"

"Yeah. So what?" Zoro snickered. "It was still priceless."

Standing up after finishing his tea, Gohan stretched out and patted his stomach, "No need to get upset, Nami-chan. Those three will just forget about this in the next thirty seconds." But damn it if it wasn't hilarious. Upon seeing Rebecca and the two swordsmen follow his lead, the Saiyan then edged his way out of the booth to stand over the stunned kids and the mortified Nami. "Come on. I feel like going on an explore." That was his way of saying he wanted to get the heck out of that building and check out more of the island.

"Same here," Rebecca chirped while also smiling at her teacher. "I'd really like to have a walk around the flower fields to see if there are any tulips growing in this area."

"Let's go find some then."

As the two crews prepared to leave, towards the back of the store, the group of seven adventurers completely overlooked the presence of two individuals sitting in the corner booth. The first was a beautiful woman of average height with a trim, curvaceous figure, fair skin, yellow eyes, and long black hair. She was adorned in a red jacket that was held together by string and showed off a great deal of cleavage, yellow short shorts fastened to her hips by a blue belt, brown boots, black fighting gloves, and golden earrings. The other was a second beautiful girl with an equally fit figure, short blonde hair, crystal blue eyes and fair skin, wearing a gym-style halter top that drew enormous attention to her ample chest, a low riding short skirt that showed off a bit of her hip, shin-high boots and gloves that went all the way up to her elbows; all of which were purple.

Like the other patrons, the pair blended perfectly into their environment and didn't appear interested in the newly arrived crew's conversation. It was only after Luffy's group decided to leave that the girl with the blonde hair frowned.

"Did you hear that, Kat?" the female asked, setting her cup of tea down.

"Yeah. They said Gohan," the raven haired girl responded, eyes narrowing on the exit, "That's the one the boss is looking for."

The blonde quickly looked back at her friend, "So… what's the plan?"

Crossing her fingers together, the anxious looking Kat then grunted, "Call in headquarters and get one of the lieutenants down here to check it out. We'll have to continue our search for the other one later." As far as she was concerned, this was a far more important issue…

OOO

(Several minutes later)

Gohan's group ended up tagging along with Luffy's crew all the way to the mansion sitting at the top of the hill, with the three boys from the tavern leading them to the fence. This being one of the more interesting and impressive landmarks on this island, the demi-Saiyan and his friends figured it would be good karma on their part to offer their services should the need arise. After all, since all of them were such close comrades, it wouldn't have been fair of them to cut out so soon after getting here.

Their journey with the three boys eventually led the adventurers to their current point, which was standing right outside the iron fence surrounding the estate.

"Whoa. It's huge!" Luffy exclaimed, holding his hat as his eyes traced over the enormous white house.

While Gohan admired the building's various aesthetic qualities, an equally fascinated Rebecca then glanced down at the three adolescents gathered in front of them. "What exactly does Usopp-san talk to the girl about when he visits her? Do you know?"

The boy in the thin glasses and onion haircut looked up at the girl with a grin, "Oh. That's easy. He tells lies."

Nami frowned and glared at the youngster, as he seemed a little too laidback with that answer, "That's not something he should be doing!"

"His lying isn't a bad thing," the boy with the carrot hairstyle explained. "It's actually a really good thing."

They three kids then went on to explain how Usopp's lies were actually stories of all of his magnificent and dangerous exploits, all of which were designed to make Kaya laugh and feel better. Even though they were all exaggerated, he did so out of the goodness of his heart to bring joy and laughter to the lonely girl's days. Due to her history and current circumstances, the allied crews actually respected the long-nosed teen even more.

Gohan nodded at the recount with an approving look on his face, "Now that's a guy I'd really like to have on my team."

"He certainly does possess the characteristics of a man with outstanding moral fiber and good-will," Rebecca remarked, before having her attention unexpectedly drawn towards the sounds of people crying. When her eyes landed on Johnny and Yosaku, she saw both swordsmen had their eyes covered by their hands and arms respectively, and were sobbing uncontrollably into their sleeves.

"What a great man," Johnny sniffled. "Such compassion. Such swagger."

"Yes. Usopp-aniki truly is a man living amongst lesser men," Yosaku also cried, trying to regain his composure but failing miserably. Their combined reactions had Zoro and Nami sweat-drop, whereas Luffy appeared somewhat entertained by this.

"So he really is a decent guy?" the rubber pirate chuckled, which earned a simultaneous nod from their child escorts.

"Uh-huh. I like the way he keeps meddling in other people's business."

"I like the way he overreacts to everything."

"I like his lies."

While Gohan and Rebecca glanced across at one another in amusement, as the aspects about Usopp's character the kids found appealing were rather unorthodox, they almost completely overlooked the sight of Luffy grabbing the top of the fence and slingshoting him, Zoro, Nami, and the three children over it. This left the other four heroes standing outside and staring at the iron bars, as they hadn't really expected the rubber man to enter the way he did. However, after a couple moments of thought, they quickly dispersed of their surprise and looked thoughtfully at each other.

"Should we follow them, Gohan-aniki?" Yosaku asked.

The Saiyan shrugged, "Might as well. I'm interested to see how this plays out." Turning to Rebecca, he quickly beckoned her over. When the princess stepped in close to him, he then wrapped a gentlemanly arm around her waist, before grabbing Johnny and Yosaku with the other and vaulting over the fence with barely a grunt.

When he landed on the other side, he quickly deposited the three of them back to their feet, with Johnny and Yosaku appearing stunned.

"Wow. Nice jump," Johnny commented.

"Thanks," Gohan chuckled, before walking towards the area where he saw Luffy and the others had landed. After ambling through the lush, beautiful garden growing around the mansion, which Rebecca couldn't help but stop and admire, the group finally arrived at the spot where the others were gathered.

They found Usopp sitting up in a tree talking to a pale, beautiful young girl in the window, while Luffy and the others had assembled by the trunk. They arrived just in time to hear the rubber boy had already asked for a ship, something that Usopp was apparently now panicking over. However, before the conversation could carry on any further, all of them were interrupted by the arrival of a third party.

"What in the world is going on back here?" A man's shout drew everyone's attention down the length of the mansion, where they saw a man in a double-breasted black suit, white collar, thin glasses, and slicked back, black hair marching up to them with a sense of purpose behind each step. When he stopped several feet away from them, the man then proceeded to inspect each and every one of the teenagers with a foul glare. "You people are trespassing on private property."

Gohan and his group then noticed the unusual way the man adjusted his glasses, using the flat palm of his hand. The Saiyan narrowed his eyes on that, as he managed to pick up something off through the man's peculiar gesture. He then proceeded to look the newcomer over more carefully.

Peering over the side of her open window, the nervous blonde girl, whom everyone identified as Kaya, smiled nervously at the man. "Please excuse them, Klahadore. These people are-"

"You don't have to explain anything, ojou-sama. I will speak to you on this matter later," the butler spoke up, cutting the girl off and surprising a couple of the people on the ground. "As for the rest of you people, though I have no idea who you are or where you came from, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. Unless there is something you wish to say that prompted you to sneak onto these grounds in the first place."

Luffy smiled at him with a positive gleam in his eye, "We would like a big ship, please!"

"Absolutely not," Klahadore immediately dismissed, leaving Luffy with a dismal raincloud over his head. "If that is all you wish to say, then get out." He then turned his attention to the slingshot user, whom he saw had clambered down from his spot in the tree to face him properly. "Ah, you must be Usopp-kun… I've heard a great deal about you around the village." Sniffing in a pompous manner, the man then lifted his nose at the frowning boy. "The guards spotted you lurking around the front gates a little while ago. What is it that you want here?"

Swallowing nervously, the sniper then quickly thought up an excuse and grinned, "Well… I saw some unsavory characters walking around the area and, being the bold, fearless and noble captain that I am, I just could not stand idly by while-"

Once again, the teen was quickly shut down by the stern-looking Klahadore, "You lie and spout nonsense very well… as expected of someone of your background." He then pushed his glasses up again with his palm. "Am I correct in saying that your father is a good-for-nothing, lowlife too?" When he saw the boy flinch, the butler scoffed. "I heard a lot about him from the villagers; a filthy pirate who makes a living off of robbing and deceiving innocent, hardworking people. A man who dreams of following in those footsteps has no business associating with a lady like ojou-sama. You're best to stay well away from her."

The man's harsh and nasty words had Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Gohan and Rebecca frown at him, their eyes narrowing upon his figure with a mixture of displeasure and disgust. While all of them reacted negatively, it was Usopp who was offended the most, as his hair bristled and teeth clenched in anger. "Did you just call my father a lowlife-?"

" _What a horrible thing to say,"_ Rebecca thought, at the same time her Saiyan partner was still looking the man over with a piercing stare.

Without even a hint of regret, the well-dressed man flashed his glasses at the boy and looked down his nose at him. "You and ojou-sama belong in totally different worlds. You are too far beneath her to be interacting with her in any way, shape or form." This guy was now starting to rub everybody the wrong way, as the remarks he was spouting had everyone clenching their fists and scowling hatefully. He acted like he was superior to them in every way and was deliberately using words that slighted all of them, and not just Usopp's father. "If it's money that you want from the mistress, name your price. I will pay any amount if it means keeping you away from here."

Kaya leaned out the window and shouted down at her butler, "That's enough, Klahadore! Apologize to Usopp-kun at once!"

Glancing up at the woman, the man then looked back at the long-nosed boy with an unchanging expression. "I'm only stating the facts, milady. There's no need for me to apologize… especially to someone like _him_." He then tilted his head in a feigned look of pity. "I feel sorry for you, Usopp-kun. You actually hate your father, don't you… because he's an ignorant treasure hunter who thoughtlessly abandoned his family and his village?"

Johnny and Yosaku frowned and thought in unison, _"What a dick."_

Usopp's knuckles started to pop as his fist clenched even tighter, "Don't you dare say another word against my father!"

A chuckle left Klahadore's lips, "You're not very bright, are you? You should've just stuck to your guns and fibbed like you usually do. You could've said your father was a merchant, a mapmaker, or someone who wasn't related to you in any way-"

At that moment, the young sniper stepped forward, with obvious intent to inflict bodily harm on the butler. However, before he could raise his fist in retribution, Gohan stepped in front of him and stood between the two men, with his back to the young sharpshooter. When Usopp looked up at the spiky haired male in surprise, he saw the Saiyan looking over his shoulder at him, trading glances between him and Kaya. Quickly realizing what Gohan meant by following his gaze, Usopp wisely chose to step back.

This allowed Gohan to turn his attention to the servant of the household, whom he then set a firm glare upon. "Apologize… _now_."

Raising his head, the butler's frown deepened as he lifted his hand to adjust his glasses once again, causing the Saiyan's eye to twitch irritably, "Hmph… why should I? As far as I'm concerned, I haven't said anything wrong." He was then caught completely by surprise when Gohan's hand suddenly snapped up faster than he could react and grabbed his wrist.

"Because unlike Usopp, I don't come from this island… so whatever I do to you in the next few seconds, I'm not going to regret one bit," Gohan hissed in a tone so intimidating, even the people standing behind him shivered. The Saiyan's glare narrowed. "Do you think being smarter, wealthier and more sophisticated than other people gives you the right to insult and belittle them? To look down on the rest of the world like they're dirt?"

Klahadore grunted, not at all put off by the boy's words of stare despite the firm grip he had on his wrist, "It is my right as a man of high-standing and intelligence, yes." He then smirked, "Of course, a hoodlum as brutish and uncivilized as you couldn't possibly understand."

"Oh-ho? Is that so?" Gohan spoke, before a devilish grin crossed his lips. "Well, if that's the case, a smart man like you wouldn't have let me grab their hand so easily." His eyes then narrowed one last time, into an expression that promised nothing but bad news for the arrogant butler. "Last chance; apologize to Usopp, right now." When Klahadore glared back at him defiantly, keeping his mouth tightly shut, the Saiyan sighed and nodded. "Okay. Don't say I didn't warn you."

 _ **Crack!**_

The sound of bones crunching was followed by a cry of agony, as Klahadore dropped to the ground and grabbed his arm, which was promptly released from the Saiyan's grip. The group standing in the background either cringed or gaped at what Gohan had just done, as they were pretty sure the teen had just broken the man's wrist.

The expression on Klahadore's face and the way he was now kneeling before the Saiyan was proof enough. It was a sight that had Kaya clap her hands over her mouth and stare down at the scene in horror.

His face mirroring the one his father wore when he did the same thing to Frieza back on Namek all those years ago, Gohan glared down at the whimpering and gasping servant, before dusting his hand against his pant leg. "With that arm… it's highly unlikely you'll be able to draw a straight line ever again. Count yourself lucky I didn't take your whole hand off." When Gohan saw the man glare up at him angrily, the Saiyan spoke. "Now… are you going to apologize… or do I have to start playing 'guess which bone I broke' with the rest of your body until you do?"

Sneering at the spiky haired fighter looking down at him, the sweating and panting Klahadore then turned his gaze towards the crew watching him in the background. After deeply considering his position and the person now standing in front of him, the bespectacled man wisely chose to swallow his pride and spoke up in as sincere a tone he could muster. "On my knees… hand over heart," the butler wheezed while gazing across at Usopp, "I'm sorry… for saying such horrible things about your father."

While the sharpshooter nodded in satisfaction, a smile returned to Gohan's lips, who then bent over to look the wounded butler in the eye. "See. That wasn't so hard, was it?" the Saiyan chirped, before reaching up and pinching the man in the cheek like a child. "Be a good boy from now on, okay? Otherwise you're going to have me to deal with." After patting the man on said cheek, the demi-Saiyan then straightened up and glanced towards the girl in the window, who he could see was looking down at him fearfully. Staring at her for a few seconds, the boy reached into his obi and pulled out a little brown bag, which he tossed up to the sick teenager. "Here." When Kaya caught it clumsily with her hands, the Saiyan smiled warmly. "They're medicinal herbs to help give you back your strength. Just add them to some hot water and you'll have a delicious tea to wash it all down."

Kaya blinked and, after a moment of gazing down at the beaming Saiyan, nodded in understanding, "Th-Thank you."

After giving her one last, assuring grin, Gohan placed his hands behind his head and strolled off, carelessly passing by the two guards that came around to see what all the noise was about. Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku followed after him, leaving Luffy and the others to deal with Klahadore. Just a couple minutes after the Saiyan left, the butler demanded that they all vacate the premises, while the mansion's security personnel helped to patch up the broken bones in his arm, courtesy of one of their uninvited guests.

OOO

(Several minutes later)

"What you did back there to that butler, aniki…" Johnny spoke as the four of them wandered down the road together, "I'm not gonna lie… that was pretty satisfying to watch."

"Yeah. That guy was an asshole," Yosaku nodded in agreement, letting his thoughts on the matter known alongside his best mate. He then brought his thumb and fingers in front of him and pushed them together to illustrate his feelings. "I was about _this_ close to punching him in the face."

"Usopp-kun was too," Rebecca said, narrowing her eyes as she glanced up at the Saiyan walking right next to him. "He was really upset by what that man was saying to him. I could feel how angry he was getting with my Haki."

"Same," Gohan also spoke, knowing that his senses had been on the mark too. Expression cold and serious, he and the rest of the group continued to march down the road, away from the village. "People who manipulate and bully others are the worst… especially guys like _that_." The Saiyan then narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Funny. I've read a lot of ki signatures from hundreds of different people in my life… but after getting a good whiff of that butler, the only thing that I could think of was 'snake'. The Klahadore was a lot stronger than he was letting on, which is something I found out while I was giving his hand and manners a readjustment."

The three walking alongside the Saiyan found this information just as interesting.

"You mean he was suppressing his energy?" Rebecca asked.

This earned a firm nod from the traveling warrior, "From what I could tell… the guy is as strong as Zoro and Luffy."

Johnny raised an eyebrow in amazement, "Why would somebody like that be shacking up as a lowly servant on an island like this?"

"I don't know… and that's what has me worried," Gohan muttered, hands at his sides as the group continued to move along at a casual pace.

If it were up to him, he would've done a lot more than just break a couple of bones. Gohan had wanted to threaten the guy and interrogate him for answers. After all, someone with the kind of strength he felt didn't just sit around on a quiet little island doing nothing. The look he saw in Klahadore's eyes when he was standing toe to toe with him told him that he'd seen and experienced a lot of things in his life, and there was something off about the butler's personality that Gohan didn't trust. The fact that he looked down on others was just an unwanted bonus.

However, being in the presence of the rest of the crew, as well as that poor girl Kaya, Gohan didn't want to take his little intimidation act too far. He'd actually been hesitant in going down that route in the first place, but since the guy had pissed him off so much he may have gotten a little bit carried away.

Of course, Gohan had little regrets over what he did. He'd shown the guy who was boss and, should they ever run into one another again, the Saiyan was positive the butler would be a little bit more cordial with them than what he was earlier.

Anyway, when all of that was said and done, the group continued on their walkabout of the island. As they expected, the place was calm and peaceful, and the people living out on the pastures were incredibly friendly. The scenery was also beautiful, the air was clear, and the fields were so wide and open it just made you want to hop the fences and run through them. Hilariously enough, Johnny and Yosaku actually did, only to be chased off by an angry bull when they accidentally spooked a group of cattle. This got a few laughs out of Gohan and Rebecca, and really helped in lifting their moods following their visit to the mansion.

Aside from that incident, nothing really peculiar happened during their little exploration. Though they did pass some weirdo wearing a pair of love-heart shaped sunglasses and moon-walking in the opposite direction down the road, events of an actionable nature were pretty much sparse. This eventually led to the crew of four travelers taking up a spot at the top of a small hill, where fields of flowers and long grass were growing all around.

While Johnny and Yosaku challenged one-another to a quick sword fight, Gohan watched from a seiza position in the grass with a smile on his face as Rebecca picked her flowers. The princess was beaming like a schoolgirl as she gleefully collected handfuls of tulips and daisies, arranging them between her fingers into a simple yet stunning bouquet. By the time the two bounty hunters were done banging steel against each other, the pink haired female had arranged an impressive crown of flora.

Feeling a cool breeze wash over the island and cause the fields of grass to dance around them, a now standing Gohan sighed deeply and admired the view of the open ocean. "I wouldn't mind staying on this island for a couple of days… at least until we get our transportation issue figured out."

"Do you think we'll be able to barter passage on a merchant vessel to another island from here, aniki?" Johnny asked from his spot on a large rock he was sitting on in the middle of the field. "Maybe to a place where we can get a boat of our own?"

"Well… unless we happen to stumble upon a spare one over the next week or so, we don't really have much of a choice," Gohan replied, scratching his head as he turned his attention towards Rebecca. When he saw the princess stand up and turn to him, the Saiyan continued. "As it stands, Nami's boat is too small to house all four of us for an extended period, and even though the last ship I had was big and solid, I wouldn't have wanted to sail across the Grand Line in it."

Yosaku appeared confused, "The _Cordial Mary_? Why not?"

"For one, the boat was falling apart in places and looked like it'd taken a bit of a pounding over the last few months it's been active. I'm guessing the crew was relying too much on its build and frame to worry about properly maintaining it," Gohan informed, crossing his arms with a firm look on his face. "Second, I wouldn't have wanted Rebecca to be stuck traveling onboard a vessel that's pretty much been her prison for the better part of a few months." His comment earned a warm gaze from said princess, whereas Johnny and Yosaku nodded in understanding.

"I guess we'll just keep on looking then, huh?" Rebecca asked, stepping up to her friend with her arms full flowers.

"To the ends of the East Blue if we have to," the Saiyan chuckled, before then looking down at the bouquet in the girl's arm. "Though I doubt we'll really have to look that far. I'm sure there's bound to be a few islands nearby we can shop around for a suitable tub." After admiring a few of the tulips for a moment, with Rebecca holding the collection up higher for the Z-fighter to inspect, the young warrior then reached forward to pick one.

But just as he was about to grab a stalk, Gohan's eyes suddenly widened in alarm, as did Rebecca's. In the blink of an eye, the man grabbed the girl and the two swordsmen, and leapt out of the way just in time to avoid a glowing red energy ball shooting down at them from above. The attack slammed into the field and detonated with terrifying force, incinerating the grass in a ball of orange flames and sending a black cloud with embers billowing into the sky. When the Saiyan finally landed several yards outside of the crater, he quickly deposited his friends behind him and growled.

"What the hell?"

"Whoa… th-that was close," Yosaku stammered, having fallen to his knees in shock.

Gripping the handle of his sword tightly, Johnny looked around the fields with a glare, "Who's shooting at us this time?"

Gohan and Rebecca were immediately on the case, their eyes snapping towards a large tree standing at the top of a nearby hill. After scanning the small canopy, the pair spotted a large figure perched inside the branches, sitting back against the trunk with his hand extended and a smirk pulled across his lips.

The group saw the figure was a muscular looking male, with orange spiky hair, pointy ears and a sharp nose, and wearing a purple headband, a black top with baggy shoulders and tight sleeves that exposed his chest, a red sash, white pants, yellow boots, and a series of gold buckles and jewelry holding it all together. The man also had a belt worn around his waist and a large sword sheathed behind it, which appeared to be some kind of rapier with an odd tri-corner handle guard. At first glance, the four teenagers on the grass thought the shadow of the tree was messing with their view of him. But upon closer inspection, they saw that the person they were looking at actually had blue skin with a teal tint.

The sight of the mysterious stranger instantly had Rebecca back up nervously and the two bounty hunters behind her look upon him in fear. Sensing his friends' anxiousness, Gohan immediately moved out into the open, away from the trio, and threw their attacker a harsh glare. "Hey! What the heck was that all about?! Are you trying to start something with us?"

The young Saiyan got his answer a second later when the man suddenly leant forward and sprang from the tree in a blur of movement. Traveling faster than the human eye could see, the orange haired sniper appeared directly over his target and descended towards Gohan at great speed, prompting the warrior to take action.

A yell left the stranger's lips as he struck out at the spiky haired teenager with a right cross, only for his target to slip around it and counter with a left seiken. Gohan aimed to clean the man's clock with one hit, but the instant he let his attack fly the mysterious swordsman unexpectedly spun around, caught his fist with his left, and locked his arm up with his right. Stunned, Gohan was unable to respond quickly enough when his opponent suddenly lifted him off the ground and shoulder-tossed him across the valley, sending him flying through the air before landing several yards away.

Johnny, Yosaku and Rebecca were in shock by what they saw. Gohan on the other hand was beside himself, looking upon his opponent in disbelief.

" _This guy… his strength,"_ Gohan thought, his senses finally catching a glimpse of the guy he was up against. _"He's not from this planet."_

In response, the blue warrior charged straight at Gohan, unleashing a flying spin kick at him, which the Saiyan ducked and countered with a right back-kick. A loud bang echoed out when their legs collided with one another, leading to the pair engaging in a deadly dance across the grassy hills, trading swift, earthshaking blows. After a vicious exchange of kicks, the Saiyan managed to get behind his foe and thrust a knee into his face. Unfortunately his opponent wasn't going to let himself get caught that easily, and after drawing his sword from its sheath, blocked Gohan's attack with the edge of his blade. The impact of the blow caused a loud 'clang' to rattle the surrounding island, knocking the observing Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku off their feet.

While Gohan snarled as he attempted to push through the length of steel, his opponent grinned up at him. "Interesting. It seems you were trained by that green warrior my comrades and I fought back on Earth. The one they called Piccolo."

This information had Gohan's eyes widen in shock, "How…?" His expression then tightened into a scowl, "Who are you?"

Grinning smugly, the blue fighter managed to shove the Saiyan off of him and send him across the valley, allowing him to draw his weapon completely. "He certainly was a stubborn one. Out of all your friends… the Namekian was the most difficult to put down." The intimidating stranger then slid into a wide stance and pointed his sword towards his stunned target. "He specialized in close-quarter fighting, with emphasis on the clawed hand strike and spinning back kick, which you seem to favor to a ridiculous degree." A chuckle left his lips as he saw the teen's expression twist into one of anger. "Clearly you were a poor student."

By this point, Gohan was fuming, "Answer my question! Who the hell are you?!"

The mysterious swordsman grinned, "My name is Gokuha… and my master has a message for you." With a battle cry, the blue man charged forward, drawing his weapon back for a thrust, while his opponent rushed right at him. When they met in the center, the two warriors struck, both attacking and parrying each other simultaneously.

A split second after the shockwave rang out, the pair vanished into two grey blurs.

"Holy crap! They're fast," Yosaku exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief. "How can two people move like that?"

After watching the blue man charge Gohan down and the two of them vanish seemingly into thin air, Rebecca leapt to her feet and sprinted forward, "Gohan-kun!"

Johnny and Yosaku aimed to follow after her. But before either of them could, a shadow coming down from the sun suddenly caught the former's attention.

Spotting it through the shades of his glasses, the man barked in alarm, "Rebecca! Look out! Above you!"

Alerted to the danger, the princess sprang out of the way, just in time to watch a second figure slam into the ground next to her, burying a kick into the earth. Their impact punching a small crater into the floor from the force, the figure then darted at Rebecca at a ridiculous speed and lashed out at her with a series of swift punches. Rebecca avoided and blocked the first few, but after clumsily avoiding a hook, the girl was left wide open to a kick, which slammed into her ribs and sent the girl tumbling down the hill. Springing to her feet before she could reach the bottom, the princess grabbed the staff on her back and looked up.

When the three fighters looked upon the second newcomer, they saw the raven haired girl in the short-shorts, revealing halter top and fighting gloves from the tavern smirking towards Rebecca, dropped into a fighting stance.

Arms held in a cross-arm block, the female attacker began to skip and shuffle on the spot like Ali, a cheerful smile on her face as she waved. "Hello, you." She smiled at the princess, before quickly turning to the two men behind her and winking at them. "The lieutenant doesn't want anyone interfering with his battle. Do you boys want to play with me for a bit?"

Blushing momentarily, both Johnny and Yosaku quickly dropped into wide stances and grabbed the handles of their swords, holding them in battle-ready positions.

Kat, noticing the trio's defensive responses, grinned excitedly, "I'll take that as a yes." Skipping on the spot, the girl then glanced behind her at Rebecca. When she saw the girl begin to draw the staff from her back, the eager fighter then stopped and vanished in a shimmer. Before the princess could respond to her actions, Kat reappeared directly behind her and slammed a heel kick into her back, sending Rebecca flying into the two bounty hunters.

Both Johnny and Yosaku were knocked off their feet by Rebecca crashing into them, sending all three tumbling to the ground. They were quick to recover though, and as soon as they were back on their feet, they saw the raven haired newcomer once again skipping on the grass several yards away, a smile on her face and her hands held up in a hitman boxing guard.

Yosaku was stumped. "Okay. This is bad…"

Rebecca meanwhile, drawing her staff from her back, spun it around her before assuming a solid stance. _"This woman… I don't know who she is or where she came from, but all of my senses are screaming at me… sending out danger signals. She's strong."_

"Who are these guys?" Johnny choked out as he stood back up, gripping his sword's handle. "What do they want with us?"

"I'm not sure," Rebecca whispered, gritting her teeth as she watched their opponent practically skip and dance around in front of them. "But I've got a bad feeling about this."

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: So this is happening now. Pretty much Gohan's story will be taking place adjacent to Luffy's adventures, but our favorite Saiyan won't be joining his crew. He'll be going on his own journey, with his story every once in a while overlapping with the One Piece canon. However, Gohan will have his own challenges and battles to fight, as well as his own story to follow, which started out in the first chapter and has now come to this.

For all those who have watched the **Dragonball Z movies** , particularly number nine, you'll probably know who the person that attacked him is… and who his **boss** is. That means some bad shit has happened to the Z-fighters back on Earth.

Without Gohan there to fight them, even if Goku was wished back to life, they pretty much got their asses beat. I'll let you guess what happened to the Z-fighters over the course of this fic. But let's just say Gohan won't be seeing them for a while.

Also, for all those who have read **Dragonball Z: Multiverse** the online comic, you'll need to have read it to know who the two girls are, most-notably **Kat**. They're from the U6 teams that participated in the tournament, and they play a significant part in Gohan's story arcs in this One Piece crossover.

Just to put it out there, these girls aren't part of Gohan's harem. Rebecca, yes. Nami, in progress. Others... we'll see.

Well, that's all I'll say for now. Hope you're looking forward to the next chapter. **Dragonball Z: Legacies** will also be updated soon.


	7. A Noble Occupation

**A Saiyan Odyssey**

 _A Noble Occupation_

(Gohan vs. Gokuha)

Leaping across the open fields and through the air at terrific speeds, the young Saiyan from Earth chased down his sword-wielding foe as fast as he could, blazing a trail of hot wind and fire. However, after several minutes of back and forth exchanges between the two super powered warriors, the hero quickly realized that his opponent was a lot more capable than he initially gave him credit for. This was obvious by how Gokuha was able to evade his blows and launch counters to them with startling accuracy. When the pair engaged one another in what would become their twentieth clash, Gohan knew right away that this was not going to be a battle he was going to win so easily.

Skidding to a stop through the long grass, kicking up a cloud of dust at the same time, the Z-fighter's gaze snapped up to see Gokuha sprinting at him across the plains, his sword drawn back and ready for a thrust. Ducking the blade when it jabbed out at him, Gohan used that opportunity to dive in and deliver three swift punches to his enemy's face, only to have the alien warrior catch them with the back of his forearm. Growling, the Saiyan then threw a spin kick at his side, which the man checked and countered with a diagonal slash of his sword. Swiftly back flipping to avoid it and placing himself at a safe distance several yards away, Gohan straightened up, took aim with his hand, and fired off several ki blasts at his enemy.

The golden balls streaked towards Gokuha like rockets, who decided above all common sense to bull rush them. However, instead of running headlong into the salvo like an idiot, the man sliced through the beams with his sword, deflecting them and cutting them into ribbons so that the halves curved around him safely. After slashing his way through the barrage, the alien then leapt right at his stunned foe.

Reacting quickly, Gohan attempted to slash at the man with a clawed strike, only to see his opponent kick his arm away, before a silver streak of light carved across his chest, sending blood splattering to the ground. The Saiyan yelped in shock when he realized he'd been hit by the man's sword and stumbled backwards, which left him wide open for a second kick that Gokuha threw at him. The blow slammed into his ribs and sent the hero flying across the area to crash into a distant hillside.

Forming a crater with his impact, Gohan coughed out in shock and glared up through a slightly blurred vision, where he quickly spotted his foe standing and smirking arrogantly at him from the middle of the open field, using his sword as a prop to lean on.

"How about that? Looks like all that training I did over the past few years has really paid off. I'm not even breaking a sweat," Gokuha remarked with a snide grin. "Come on. Don't tell me that's all you've got, boy."

Gohan, sneering at the overconfident the Hera-seijin, grabbed fistfuls of dirt and leaned out of the large crater he'd punched into the once pristine hillside. "Oh… I'm not even close to showing you what I've got." Looking slightly grungy and bruised up from his battle so far, the demi-Saiyan then spat on the grass and got to his feet, stumbling a little in the process. "Come on. What are you waiting for? I'm still standing here."

Kicking his blade up into a single-handed grip, the orange haired male leered murderously and bent forward. "Fine. Have it your way." With a yell, Gokuha then rocketed towards his foe with a blast of wind and dust, drawing his sword back and lunging in the moment he was in range. From the slightly surprised look that came upon Gohan's face, the man was certain for a clean and easy kill.

However, the instant his arm fully extended for the finishing blow, Gokuha's vision suddenly went completely red and a deafening thunderclap filled the air. At the same time, his head was sent reeling backwards from punch that caught him right between the eyes.

As it turns out, Gohan was able to avoid his final attack with a brisk step in and a well-timed head slip, followed immediately by a murderous right cross from below. The result was his opponent being knocked off his feet and blood sent flying out of his nose, which had been effectively caved in like the side of a ball.

All of a sudden, like a river of rushing water, Gokuha was overwhelmed by an onslaught of lightning fast blows that hammered his upper body and torso, pushing him across the valley, and slicing into his muscles like putty. After his feet skidded to a stop several seconds later, the alien dropped to his knees, blood dribbling from his face and what looked like fist and finger marks carved into his body.

Gokuha gasped and looked up in sheer bewilderment, where he saw Gohan had dropped into a low fighting stance resembling the mantis martial arts, only his feet had been positioned wider and his hand forms were slightly different.

Ignoring the blood trickling from his own mouth, the half-Saiyan smirked at his opponent. _**"R**_ _ **enkei Suirō Ken."**_ (Cross Fang Water Dragon Fist) When he saw Gokuha spit up blood, Gohan tilted his head to the side brazenly. "You're not the only one who was holding back."

The Hera shook with anger and frustration, as he then used his sword as a crutch to push himself back to his feet. "So… you had a little trick hidden up your sleeve."

"Hmph. It's no trick. It's just the fighting style I've been developing for the last seven years," Gohan informed, bobbing on his toes like a predator waiting to pounce. "I created the Renkei Ken by combining the forms that both my father and Piccolo taught me… along with a handful of others used by my friends. The stance practiced in this style is unorthodox, derived from both the Sanchin Dachi and Pu Bu respectively, while the crane hand allows me to deflect and counter attacks with relative ease. Because the fighter crouches lower than normal, it has no blind spots… especially since the Water Dragon Fist… is _mine_!" He then cracked a smile. "You said I was a poor student? Well… what do you think of me now?"

Gokuha, taking all of this information in, frowned deeply with displeasure. "Hmph. Don't get too full of yourself. You only caught me by surprise."

"Oh? Is that right?" Gohan asked, before shooting the man a dark smirk. "Then… I guess I'll just surprise you some more then."

Giving an angry yell, Gokuha lunged at his opponent with his sword held overhead, before striking at him with a downward blow. Gohan, easily telegraphing his attack, slipped around his blade and, as his attack was still in motion, nailed his opponent in the face with a sharp left, smashing his jaw to the side and sending more blood flying. He then followed up with a swift elbow across the alien's face, a blow that sent the swordsman to the ground. However, before his body could hit the grass, Gokuha surprised his opponent by throwing his sword back and digging the blade into the floor. The maneuver allowed the swordsman to push himself forward and throw another swing at the Saiyan.

Gohan dodged the retaliatory blow and sprang away, narrowing his eyes when he watched his now enraged foe glare after him. When he saw Gokuha's earrings and necklace start to glow a hot gold, he initially thought nothing of it. However, when the next thing he saw was his opponent's blade swinging towards his eyes, all thoughtlessness on the demi-Saiyan's part was thrown completely out the window.

"Whoa!" Gohan yelled in his mind, feeling a few of his hairs get sliced from his head as he swayed back to avoid the Hera's sword. _"What the hell?"_ Acting quickly, the teen then threw himself forward and tucked into a spin, barely avoiding the return swing that Gokuha aimed for his waist. The instant he avoided the sword, Gohan countered with a spin kick to the man's head, slamming it into his skull. The blow managed to push the Hera back a few inches, sure. But when Gohan saw the man was actually pressing his forehead into his leg with an intense look in play, he knew right away that something was up.

Springing away to avoid a vicious flurry of sword strikes from his now irate enemy, a startling thought immediately shot through Gohan's head. _"His swings are getting faster!"_ When Gokuha jumped at him with yet another overhead blow, the Saiyan leapt out of the way just in time to watch the man's sword slam into the ground. The force of the hit generated an earthquake level shockwave so great that it cleaved the valley in two, creating a massive crevice right up to the uppermost hill in the distance. The clouds above them also parted violently in the direction of the man's attack, showing just how strong the swing had been. _"They're also more powerful than before. What's going on?"_

When Gohan dashed around Gokuha to get him from a blind spot, he unleashed another onslaught of finger and fist strikes, all of which were shot down by the man's sword. A loud series of clangs followed when the man deflected the Saiyan's blows and thrust out at him in response, forcing Gohan to leap to a safe distance.

Getting a good look at his enemy, the demi-Saiyan saw that the jewelry Gokuha was wearing was sizzling, his orange hair was now standing on end, and his muscles had increased in size. What's more, a green aura was now eradiating from his blue form, a sight that immediately had Gohan take a step back and reassess his situation.

" _He's been steadily powering up and gaining strength while we've been fighting,"_ Gohan thought, cocking his head to the side cautiously. _"This isn't good."_ All of a sudden, after watching his attacker settle into a crouching stance with his sword held at his side, a shockwave and a deafening roar ripped through the air, as Gokuha's body became surrounded by a fierce, green bio field. The twister of energy tore the ground apart around the alien and disintegrated his top, at the same time his skin turned green, his hair flashed blood red, and his muscles increased in mass. When Gohan finally saw the man's transformation end, his eyes widened in disbelief, "Ah, shit."

Taking the initiative, Gokuha blasted towards the Saiyan with a bellow, ripping the ground apart as he traveled. Not willing to take his charge head on, Gohan leapt into the air, barely avoiding the man's slash that would've easily cleaved him in two. The Saiyan then spun down at the warrior and slammed a kick into his neck, only to have Gokuha shrug through it and smirk at him.

Hiking off of his foe's head when the Hera aimed another swing at him, Gohan quickly suspended himself in the sky above the fields. Throwing his hands out, the Saiyan let out a yell and powered up. His golden aura burst around him and his hair turned a bright gold, indicating he'd jumped straight to Super Saiyan. The tornado of dust and leaves surrounding the spiky haired warrior set the stage for an epic showdown between both warriors, with Gokuha glaring up at him from the valley and the Saiyan staring right back at him.

"Now _this_ is starting to get interesting," Gokuha chuckled, twirling his sword about all fancy-like.

The Saiyan frowned in return, "It's been seven years since I last fought someone so strong. Battling you might prove to be a good workout for me."

This comment was obviously meant to rile up his enemy, whose smile faded and was quickly replaced with a look of pure outrage. In a flash, Gokuha sprang from the ground and blasted up towards his quarry, his sword drawn back and ready to run right through the newly transformed Gohan.

OOO

(Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku vs. Kat)

For the other three explorers clashing with the second member of the two-person team, their battle wasn't going all that well. Ever since the raven haired girl dropped out of the sky and started attacking them, she'd pretty much been running circles around their formation without a care in the world. When Johnny and Yosaku attempted to double-team her and flank her position, Kat simply dodged all of their attacks and knocked them down with a few swift punches and kicks. Rebecca would also join the fray in an effort to assist the men, but even with her skills and abilities granted to her by her Haki, the raven haired girl was just too fast for her to do anything to stop her. As a result, even the young princess from Dressrosa was starting to take a beating.

The skirmish between the two parties eventually came down to the three teenagers standing in the middle of the field, sporting various bruises and scuff marks all over their bodies. Johnny was bleeding from the corner of his mouth and a swollen cheek, Yosaku had a cut above his right eye and was bleeding from the nose, and Rebecca had a large bruise over her right eye and a cut on her lip, which she received from a sharp elbow.

Kat, not even having a single scratch on her, held her ground with her hands on her hips and a chipper smile on her face. "Man. You guys are tough. The last group I fought didn't even last five minutes against me. But you three are managing to hold your own pretty well." She then giggled with her hand over her mouth. "Honestly, this is actually starting to get a little fun."

Having had enough of seeing the girl smirk at them, Johnny rushed forward with Yosaku, sprinting past Rebecca to take her head on. "Don't underestimate us, you bitch!" The two men yelled as they lunged at the girl with a pair of simultaneous blows from above and below. However, just when it seemed like their blades were going to slice Kat into three separate pieces, they suddenly saw her body become transparent, before their attacks passed right through her after image.

Just before the bounty hunters could stumble about, they were unexpectedly hit in the back by a double jump kick from their opponent, who'd managed to dash around them and attack from behind. After knocking Johnny and Yosaku to the ground, the raven haired girl looked down at the groaning warriors with a concerned look on her face.

"Oops. Sorry. Did I hit you guys too hard?" Kat asked, sounding genuinely worried, before rapping her knuckles against her head. "I'm such a klutz." Before she could get an answer from the pair, Kat's hand suddenly shot around and caught the staff being swung at her head by Rebecca. When she turned, she saw the princess recoil in surprise. "Let's try this again." Just before Rebecca could yank her weapon free, Kat suddenly stepped towards her and buried a kick into her stomach, knocking the wind out of the royal's lungs and sending her flying backwards. When she saw the pink haired fighter skid to a stop several feet away, Kat smiled. "Now that's more like it."

Catching her breath and readjusting her grip on her Bo, Rebecca looked up with a scowl, "You're… by far… the strongest person we've fought on the East Blue… even stronger than Buggy and his second mate. It's incredible."

Kat beamed with delight and placed a hand to her chest, feeling greatly moved by the princess's compliment. "Thank you so much. That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She then grinned brightly, "To tell you the truth, I'm actually the weakest member of my crew, so hearing you say such good things about me has really made my day."

"S-Seriously," Yosaku stammered as he and Johnny pushed themselves to their feet. "You're the weakest?"

"You've been picking us apart this entire fight. What the hell kind of monsters are you working for that make you one of the lowest on the totem pole?" the one in the sunglasses coughed out. If their opponent was this strong and was claiming to be the weakest, then the other members of her group must've been ridiculously powerful.

A giggle left Kat's lips as she rubbed her head sheepishly, "A lot of really awesome girls, I guess." Glancing behind her to see Johnny and Yosaku lifting their swords to point at her, and Rebecca raising her own staff defensively, the raven haired beauty tilted her head curiously. "Well, I suppose it's time for me to wrap this up. Though I wasn't planning on using this, at least you'll all go down with a smile on your face…" Throwing her arms out and pointing with her index fingers, Kat then lifted her knee and threw herself into an elegant twirl. _**"Pheromone Attack!"**_ On cue, a cloud of pink smoke was expelled from her body, which blew over the entire field and engulfed Johnny, Yosaku and Rebecca.

"W-What in the-?" the princess coughed.

"What the hell is she doing?" Johnny also sputtered, trying to wave away the smoke he was inhaling. When he looked back at their opponent, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the person that emerged from the mist. "Oh-"

"Kami," Yosaku gasped, as he and Johnny saw their raven haired opponent appear from behind the cloud of gas. However, instead of seeing the poster girl they'd been fighting before, they saw an even more radiant version emerge, skin shining, body accentuating curves unlike any other woman they'd met, and bathed in an ethereal light. It was almost like a Goddess had descended from the heavens and was now posing before them in the most alluring manner imaginable.

The sight literally had love-hearts start throbbing out of the two swordsmen's eyes.

"She's gorgeous," Johnny gasped, dropping his sword to the floor as his hands stretched out in disbelief. "I-Is this a dream?"

Even Rebecca found herself gaping and blushing at the girl in amazement. "S-So beautiful…"

Giggling as she ran her hands through her hair and stuck her chest out for good measure, Kat sashayed up to the now gaping swordsmen and placed her hands on their shoulders. "Do you like what you see boys?" Kat asked in a breathy, voluptuous voice. She then ran her fingers up to their chins and over their cheeks, before then starting to play with their locks. "Am I… breathtaking?"

"Y-Yes," Yosaku murmured with a stupid smile and dreamy eyes, which were now glazed over in a hypnotized fashion. "Absolutely."

"You're the most beautiful woman… I've ever laid eyes on," Johnny also gaped, his hand reaching out to try and grab the girl standing before them, but not daring to make contact for fear of dispelling this wonderful dream.

Letting out another seemingly naughty laugh, Kat then wrapped her hands around their heads, bringing them closer to her. "I'm touched. In return for your honesty, I have a little something I want to give you two." She then made a face that looked like she was going to kiss them, causing both the love struck Johnny and Yosaku to pucker up. They then leaned forward, ready to accept the gift the girl had to offer.

However, just when they were an inch away from claiming their prize, Kat then did something completely unexpected. She rammed her knee into Johnny's stomach, doubling him over, before driving her elbow into Yosaku's face, breaking his nose. The two blows landed with a resounding 'crunch' and 'crack', sending the two men crumpling to the floor.

Upon dealing with the swordsmen, Kat then turned her attention to Rebecca, whom she saw was still stuck in a trance and swaying drunkenly from side to side. Grinning triumphantly, the fighter ambled over to the princess and, standing before the gaping teenager, lifted her head up by the chin sensuously. "And what about you, sweetheart? Do you want a piece of me too?" She then proceeded to bring her face closer to hers, in a manner similar to what she'd done to the boys.

Rebecca remained enchanted by her foe's dazzling beauty, transfixed upon her glowing face and luscious lips. Her eyes closed, almost in anticipation of the kiss that Kat was going to make on her, unable to fight the urge to respond in kind. However, just seconds before the final curtain could be pulled, an image suddenly bled into Rebecca's head; one of a spiky haired man with raven black hair and a kindly smile… someone she knew all too well.

" _Don't lose focus."_

It was Gohan.

When she heard the words of his training echo through her mind like a gong, Rebecca's eyes snapped open and the spell was instantly lifted. The very moment she was thrust out of her daydream and saw Kat's lips closing in on her, the princess let out a cry of fright and, pulling her head back, slammed it into the girl's face. The sound of bones breaking rang out as Kat was sent flying across the field, gripping her face with wide eyes and a yelp of pain.

After pulling her hands away, it revealed Kat's nose was bleeding, leaving the once beautiful girl staring up at her opponent in disbelief. "You… managed to break out of my pheromone spell?" She gritted her teeth in denial, "Impossible. There isn't a man or woman alive who could've resisted it." The technique robbed people afflicted by it of all common sense and reason, and entrapped them in an illusion of desire and awe. There was no way the girl could've thawed her way out.

"Well… I'm sorry to disappoint you," Rebecca replied, reaching up with her hand and undoing the belt around her waist, "But I did." Digging her staff into the ground next to her, she then proceeded to remove her tops and pants.

At first Kat thought the princess was going to go full commando right in front of her and blushed to the roots of her hair in alarm. But when she saw Rebecca remove her clothing and reveal that she was actually sporting a second uniform underneath, consisting of a purple bikini top, blue leather shorts and brown boots, all anticipation and shock of the moment was quickly blown away.

Chucking her gi to the floor, where it hit with a heavy thud, the battered Rebecca then picked up her staff, spun it around her, and dropped into a fighting stance. "Your tricks won't work on me twice. That I can guarantee."

Narrowing her eyes on her opponent, the bloody-nosed Kat quickly shook off the blow to her face and dropped into another stance. Bringing her hands up, she balled them into fists and proceeded to bounce on the spot. The two fighters sized one another up, waiting to see who would make the first move. Meanwhile, Johnny and Yosaku, both of whom had been knocked out by their raven haired adversary, slowly started to come back around.

After a minute of staring each other down, Kat moved to attack. With a spirited hop, she vanished in a blur, leaving an after image and a cloud of dust hanging in the air. At first it appeared Rebecca had lost her. But when Kat materialized behind her with a kick and the princess ducked it, it was clear that she most certain hadn't, which surprised the assailant.

Immediately after ducking, Rebecca spun around with a strike of her staff, prompting her opponent to block with the plate of her combat glove. Sparks flying, the princess then began lashing out at her target, forcing Kat into a hasty retreat. Avoiding a direct thrust from the weapon, the raven haired fighter smacked the staff out of the way and returned fire with a series of swift punches. The fists shot past Rebecca's head when she speedily evaded between them, eventually smacking the woman's arms away with her staff and retaliating with a quick shot to her head, clocking Kat in the temple and sending her skidding across the field on her feet.

Hissing from the blow that caused a trickle of blood to run from her hairline, Kat then glared back at Rebecca to see her circling her cautiously from a distance, like a hunter fending off a wild beast. After shooting her an observant glare, the female warrior dashed at the princess and sprang into the air, throwing two kicks at her head. Rebecca blocked the attacks with the side of her pole, only to unexpectedly receive a sharp one to the stomach when the descending Kat spun around and snuck her foot through her guard, knocking her into the air.

Spitting up saliva from the hit and landing clumsily along the grass, Rebecca shakily brought her weapon back up and glared at her foe. _"Damn it. She cracked two of my ribs with that attack."_ The princess then pointed the end of her stick towards her opponent, while Kat, arms up, continued to skip on the spot. After taking a few seconds to recover, the princess frowned. _"Her punches are heavy and her speed is so great, even with my Kenbunshoku Haki, I can barely keep up with her. For such a strong fighter to exist on this ocean… it's extraordinary…"_

On her end, Kat was giving a similar appraisal. _"Amazing. I haven't faced an opponent like her in a long time. Her strength, her attacks, her reflexes… they're all top notch and high class. Even her speed is a close match for mine."_ She then smiled and slid into a southpaw stance, watching her opponent readjust her position to accommodate. _"I know I'm only supposed to stall them… but I think I might get carried away here. This is just far too exciting."_

While the two girls paced around each other, Johnny and Yosaku finally regained consciousness, and were now groggily looking across the field towards the two warriors. When they saw Rebecca squaring off on her own against the ridiculously strong Kat, the bounty hunters' immediate reactions were that of fear and concern for their friend's safety. After all, they'd felt how strong she was, so they knew exactly what the princess was up against.

"Rebecca-aneue," Yosaku wheezed.

"B-Be careful…" Johnny also coughed out, pushing himself up on shaky arms.

On cue, the two warriors charged at each other, both with intense expressions and eyes locked firmly onto their opponent. Spinning her staff around her palm like a helicopter blade, Rebecca struck out at her foe with a flurry of blindingly fast strikes, whereas Kat lashed out with her fists. What followed was a super intense, super-close melee between the two, as loud clangs and thuds filled the air from their attacks colliding in a blur of movement. Their resulting skirmish caused a tornado of wind to form around them and blast outwards with every swing, sending dust, leaves and sparks flying in all directions.

In the confusion of their close-quarter bout, Rebecca managed to deflect her opponent's roundhouse kick and counter with a wide swing of her staff to the head. However, while in mid-strike, the princess was forced to duck under a swift back kick, which Kat managed to follow up with after her first. This then allowed the raven haired female to spin around a second time and throw a left overhand down at the crouching princess, who quickly leapt from the ground and vanished in a blur.

Tracking her foe with her senses, Kat's eyes snapped to the air behind her, where she saw Rebecca corkscrew into view parallel to the ground and swing her weapon towards her. Reacting fast, the raven haired warrior intercepted the attack with a swift elbow, the impact generating a shockwave that cracked the hill beneath them and sent a gale of wind blasting in all directions. When it hit Johnny and Yosaku, the two bounty hunters had to shield themselves from the debris that pelted them.

After both females were blown back by the recoil of their attacks, Rebecca hissed when her right side sent bolts of electricity shooting up her body, causing her to unintentionally lurch to the side. Noticing her moment of weakness gave Kat the perfect opportunity to attack, the girl darting forward and opening up with two swift jabs. The princess blocked them, but was unable to stop the kick that slammed into her abdomen and sent her flying.

Tumbling across the grass, the princess managed to stop after several yards of travel. When she did, she coughed out a bit of blood, before gripping her weapon in both hands and slowly forcing herself to her feet. When she spotted her opponent glaring at her from a distance, Rebecca huffed angrily, _"My cracked ribs are going to be a problem."_ Tightening her fingers around her staff, the female narrowed her eyes. _"How can I level the playing field? Stop her dead?"_

She needed to end this fight quickly. Due to the straightforward nature of her opponent's fighting style and the way she tended to move, Rebecca knew there was only one thing she could do in her situation. Her instincts and observations told her everything.

" _There's a hitch in her left jab. Every time she throws a right to follow up, she springs off of her back foot, particularly when she has to counter. That gives me a split second opening to attack,"_ Rebecca thought, spinning her weapon and holding it firmly behind her. Once she'd adopted a wide southpaw stance, the princess leaned forward. _"One breath! That's all I need!"_ Inhaling deeply and holding, the girl then charged at her foe in a pink and white blur.

Spotting her line of attack, Kat cracked a smile and moved towards her attacker in response. _"A head-on attack? Don't be silly. My fists can strike you two times before you can even land one hit with your staff."_ As soon as Rebecca lunged into range, the raven haired beauty fired off a jab, forcing the princess to dodge to the outside and swing her staff around from the left. Seeing the weapon coming in wide and from below had Kat smirk and twist in with a right cross, her fist cutting through the air faster than a bullet. _"I can see the path of your attack! All I need to do is match a counter to it and take you down!"_ With her left arm moving to block the staff with her elbow and her right fist closing in on her opponent's face, Kat was certain of a quick and decisive victory.

However, while in the midst of her swing, Rebecca uttered three words under her breath, ones that went completely amiss by her foe.

" _ **Hibo: Tsubame Gaeshi."**_ (Hidden Staff: Swallow Reversal)

All of a sudden, just as Kat's fist was about to hit her target, a loud 'crack' rang out followed by a shooting pain up her right side, as the woman was unexpectedly struck in the abdomen by an attack from her right. Her body bending from the pole slamming into her ribs, the stunned Kat spat up blood as she was lifted off the floor and sent bouncing like a ragdoll across the field, before crashing into the ground a dozen yards away.

When the wounded Kat managed to push herself to her feet, she then clutched at her side and looked up with a start. "N-No way." Seeing Rebecca standing at a distance with her weapon in full view had the fighter blink in confusion. "I… I could've sworn that attack was coming in from the left. So why the heck was I hit from the right?" No matter how she tried to angle it, the whole thing didn't add up. "What the hell did you just do?"

Hearing her loud and clear, Rebecca decided to grace her with an answer, "It was nothing special. I just used a technique I've been practicing for the last several weeks in between my regular sessions." She then narrowed her eyes on her foe. "Gohan-kun is fast… so fast that neither my staff, nor the solitary arc of its strike is enough to catch him off guard. So, in order to better my chances of hitting him, I devised a way to change the circumstances by adding a second strike into the mix. In short, I've learned how to strike multiple times with the same staff in a single breath. That's all there is to it."

Replaying the exchange in her head one last time, Kat saw for herself exactly what had happened.

Rebecca's speed was greater than she'd earlier anticipated. When the girl dodged her jab and struck with a wide swing from the left, it seemed like she was going for her head from up high. In reality though, she was actually going for a low swing from the right, which she did while hiding behind an after image of her attacking from the opposite direction, creating the illusion of a single attack. The princess knew from the get-go that she would not be able to hit her opponent with her first strike, so she concealed a second strike inside of her swing, baiting her to throw a premature counter, and leaving her wide open for an attack to the body.

The timing of the attack was perfect. As a result, Kat had broken three ribs.

Johnny and Yosaku, stunned by the development, both grinned and cheered for their companion from the ground.

"Way to go, Rebecca-aneue!" the one in the sunglasses shouted.

"Take that bitch down!" the other also yelled, though from their position it was more humorous than gutsy.

Taking a few deeps breaths to minimize the pain, Kat brought her hands back up and glared across at her adversary. When she saw the princess once again ready herself for combat, a competitive smirk crossed her face. "You are a tough little bird, aren't you? At first I just wanted to test you and mess around a little. But now that you've shown me what you can really do, I realize that it would be a waste to defeat you with nothing less than my full power. This time… I'm coming at you with everything I've got."

Eyes glued warily on her opponent, the similarly injured Rebecca pushed her feet apart and narrowed her gaze. "I too feel the same way. You really are an opponent worthy of my full attention." The princess then took a deep breath and braced herself. "Come. Let's finish this."

With that last exchange of words, both Kat and Rebecca sprinted at one another, where they then struck out and collided in the middle of the open field…

OOO

(Gohan vs. Gokuha)

Across the ocean and skies above, countless explosions rang out as gold and red energy blasts crisscrossed through the clouds, striking random parts of the sea as well as the various other land forms scattered around the Gecko Island chain. Amidst the impressive display of fireworks, Gokuha appeared, darting through his opponent's salvo and cutting through them with his sword. When Gohan finally came within striking distance, the Hera lashed out at him with a big swing.

The demi-Saiyan leapt over his diagonal strike, observing as the energy generated by the Hera's attack tore across the ocean, sliced the tops off of a few distant islands, and cut right through the planet's stratosphere into space. The hurricane wind produced by the swing faded into the distance, with the two combatants frozen in place, before they vanished into the distance.

The skirmish across the skies carried on as blasts and shockwaves filled the infinite blue and pared clouds left and right. When several minutes passed and another island of rock was annihilated by a stray attack, a golden bolt then shot down from the heavens and landed in an open field on the landmass where the battle had started.

Digging two trenches into the floor as he slid to a stop, a battered and noticeably cut up Gohan looked up to see his opponent materialize in the sky several stories above him. His form bathed in a fierce green blue, the Super Hera let out a mighty bellow as he drew his sword back before thrusting it forward in a stabbing motion, unleashing a sharp red beam from the tip in a spectacular flash of blinding light.

" _ **Planet Slicing Sword!"**_ Gokuha bellowed, at the same time a field of red energy shaped like flower petals formed at the base of the blast, which shot towards Gohan's position on the island like lance-shaped comet.

Sensing the force behind the blast was enough to wipe out the entire island, the Super Saiyan acted quickly. Powering up inside a fierce inferno of golden energy, the teen cupped his hands behind him and focused his ki. _**"KA-ME-HA-ME…"**_ Uttering the trademark incantation, Gohan then thrust his palms directly at the approaching attack, _**"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_ With a deafening roar, a veritable torrent of blue fire exploded from his hands and filled the sky above him. Like a tsunami, his blast struck Gokuha's head-on, resulting in a tug-of-war match between the two as they attempted to overwhelm the other's attack with their own.

The ocean churning and sky quaking under the clashing energy streams, the entire situation looked as though it would end in catastrophe. However, after several seconds of fighting and adding fuel to their respective techniques, Gohan eventually unleashed all of his energy with a howl of effort. The force of his aura exploded around him tenfold, a surge of power erupting from his hands and running up the length of his attack. Within seconds his _Kamehameha_ overwhelmed Gokuha's attack and swallowed it up, rocketing towards the green warrior in an unending stream of death, causing the alien's eyes to widen in horror.

At the last second, Gokuha disengaged from the battle and leapt to the side, avoiding the attack that could've easily ended his life, and watched it shoot past him and up into the stratosphere. The blast ended up leaving the planet's surface entirely and into space, where it would disappear somewhere at the edge of the solar system.

Snarling angrily at his failed attempt to incinerate his foe, Gokuha charged down to the island to meet his opponent face to face, who was standing and waiting for him in a defensive stance. As soon as he was in range, the Super Hera lashed out at the half-Saiyan with a vicious string of attacks, forcing Gohan into a retreat. When he saw an opening, Gokuha swung his sword back and chopped at the teen's head, intent on cutting him down the middle. But just when his blade was inches away from hitting, Gohan quickly side-stepped the attack and, with a loud yell, slammed his foot into the top of the sword, driving it into the ground and snapping the weapon in two.

Gokuha looked up in shock when he saw his opponent destroy his saber. But just when it seemed like it was over, the Hera then did something out of left field. Catching the broken tip of the blade that was spinning in the air in front of him, Gokuha then lunged up and rammed the length of metal into Gohan's shoulder, who'd managed to move at the last second to avoid a fatal blow to the chest.

A cry of pain left Gohan's lips, the teen stumbling backwards from the blow before anger flickered through his eyes. Grabbing the back of Gokuha's head with his hands, the teen rammed his knee into his face, smashing in the guy's nose, before kicking his feet out from under him and slamming his head into the ground. The impact punched a crater into the hill twenty meters wide, as well as rattling the surrounding island.

Not willing to be beaten so easily, the bloody-faced Gokuha grabbed Gohan's leg in desperation and threw him to the floor, before jumping on top of him, pressing his hand into his chest and slamming a punch across his face. Just before Gokuha could load his arm for another punch, Gohan grabbed his opponent's wrist, wrapped his legs around his arm, and forced the alien into the floor next to him.

With the Super Hera locked in a juji-gatame, Gohan then proceeded to apply pressure and shout at the man he was now constricting into submission. "Talk! Tell me who you work for!"

Gasping for air, the green-skinned warrior attempted to fight his way out of the arm bar. But try as he might, thanks to his opponent's insane strength, the man was unable to move. Clawing at the ground, the Hera choked out, "B-Bojack! He's… he's our leader!"

"What did you do to my friends?!" Gohan yelled, tightening his hold on the alien's arm, creating further discomfort in his joint. "Did you kill them?!"

Gokuha, digging his fingers into the dirt, snarled in frustration. "N-No. No!" the Hera gasped. "Beat them… left them… in the desert! Our… ex-first lieutenant's… orders! She said… they were… bait… for you!"

"Desert? What desert?" Gohan asked, as the place the man was eluding to could mean any number of spots.

Shaking his head helped Gokuha wriggle a small amount of space to breathe. "Back… on Earth. Where you… disappeared."

Realizing he was referring to the battlefield where his final showdown with Cell had taken place, the young Saiyan clenched his teeth angrily. "Why were they there?"

"The Namekian… he was… waiting… trying… to find you," Gokuha gasped, slamming his fist into the floor repeatedly. "We ambushed him… others came…"

Frowning, Gohan growled, "How did you get here?"

"Through the rift…"

"Rift?" Gohan blinked in confusion, before then glaring daggers at the Hera. "Is it the same one that I fell through?"

"Y-Yes!" Gokuha choked, attempting to force his way out but earning another bolt of pain from Gohan tightening his hold. "We… followed you… through it. No way back. Trapped."

"Why?"

Snarling as his face was pushed further into the dirt, Gokuha barked, "My master… wants you… dead!"

With one last exhale, Gohan then gave a hard yank and broke his opponent's arm with a loud crack. The act of doing so earned a scream of pain from the alien warrior, who the demi-Saiyan then kicked in the face before rolling away and leaping to his feet. Gokuha did the same, only he wound up clutching his busted arm with a pained and infuriated look on his face.

Both warriors soon found themselves glaring across at one another, bleeding from the mouth and from various other open wounds. However, just before either of them could make another move on the other, they were interrupted by to drone of an unusual sound.

" _Purupurupuru~purupurupuru~purupurupuru…"_

Hearing the noise emanating from his pocket, Gokuha grumbled and reached into his trousers, before drawing what Gohan immediately identified as a snail. It wasn't an ordinary snail either, as it was large, had green slimy skin, bushy orange eyebrows, and an orange spiral shell sitting on top of it. What's more, this strange creature with the oddly expressive face and jaw line also had two smaller snails perched along its shell; one on each side, with one being colored white, while the other was colored green, obviously to boost the signal to whoever was trying to communicate with them.

When Gokuha held it up with his palm, he spoke to it. "What is it?"

" _ **Gokuha… master wants you and the girls back at Water 7… pronto!"**_ The voice he heard was that of a large, gruff man, with the snail that was transmitting the voice displaying the expression and face of said person.

The sight of the talking animal had Gohan raise an eyebrow at the oddity of the scene taking place before him.

Grinding his teeth, the Super Hera barked at the phone, "What? Come on, Bido! Why do we have to go back now? I'm in the middle of something!"

" _ **Look, just get your asses back here. I didn't ask for the details, but he said something about a meeting with an admiral, so it's got to be important,"**_ the voice replied, the snail reflecting the man's expression with a frown. _**"First Lieutenant, out."**_ The transmission then cut-off there, ending with the snails going to sleep.

Cursing under his breath, Gokuha then shoved the animal into his pocket and turned to glare at the Super Saiyan. "It seems that we're going to have to finish this battle another time. As much as I would like to kill you now… I'm afraid I have business elsewhere." The moment he said this, a blue ring of energy formed in the air next to him, which expanded into a man-sized portal with a view leading to another, unknown location shimmering on the other side. Glancing between it and his opponent, the Hera smirked. "Just so you know, throughout this entire fight… I've been holding back against you."

Gohan, eye twitching at the man's words, then cracked a smirk, "Don't worry. So was I."

With one last glare, Gokuha stepped through the energized doorway, which quickly shut behind him, and left Gohan as the sole remaining person in the area. As soon as the window closed, the Saiyan let his transformation fade and returned to his base form.

Reaching up and removing the blade lodged in his shoulder with a tug, Gohan breathed a sigh of relief, before leaping into the air and quickly flying off to where Rebecca and the others were.

Hopefully they were having better luck than he was…

OOO

(Rebecca vs. Kat)

A series of loud bangs and clangs reverberated through the air as the battle between the two female warriors started to reach its end. Chasing her opponent across the open field, Rebecca lashed out at her foe with great speed and ferocity, her staff striking Kat's arms in a series of rapid fire strikes and swings. Sparks flew whenever the raven haired martial artist blocked with her hand guards, her feet backpedaling to avoid the head swings from the Bo. Eventually, after a long running battle across the hills led to no successful hits or counters, the pink haired princess eventually decided to break the chain and leapt at her foe. Bringing her staff back, she drove it straight into her foe's head like a spear, intent on knocking her lights out.

Eyes widening in shock, Kat threw her hands up at the last second and caught the end of the stick, which impacted with a sonic boom and split the ground beneath them. Flying back at an insane sped, the raven haired enchantress managed to land on both feet and stumble to a halt, her arms held up and her eyes shut. When she opened them and looked down at her limbs, she saw a bruise had been formed in the center of both of her palms.

Limbs shaking from the force of the attack, the panting raven haired fighter threw her opponent a smirk, who she noticed was also thoroughly exhausted. "Man… I may not have said this before… but you sure do pack a wallop." While she was staring at Rebecca, the woman then noticed Johnny and Yosaku limp into view, swords in hand and expressions reflecting both intent and determination. Realizing her opponent was going to receive reinforcements, Kat readjusted her stance and prepared to combat all three of them at once. "My next attack will end this."

However, just before she could engage them one last time, the same blue ring that had formed beside Gokuha also formed next to her. Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku looked upon the anomaly in surprise, as neither of them had ever seen something like it before.

Just before either of them could ask any questions about it, the group suddenly saw a blonde girl in a purple top and skirt step into the open; the same one that'd been in the tavern with Kat earlier that day.

Placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, the newcomer gestured into the portal. "The boss has ordered us back. We have to go."

"Aww… but why?"

"Don't ask. The lieutenant has already left, so I suggest we get moving as well," the blonde responded, before narrowing her eyes on her teammate. "If you don't… I'll be more than happy to drag you back myself. Kicking and screaming if I have to."

Groaning, the severely disappointed Kat quickly glared back at the trio she'd been fighting. When her eyes landed on the thoroughly battered Rebecca, she then raised her hand and pointed directly at the princess. "You and I will settle this fight later. Okay?"

After a moment of tense silence, Rebecca nodded back at her with a small smile, "Sure. I'll be waiting."

"Cool. It's a date then," Kat chirped, a bright smile forming over her bloody lips, "See yah." With that said, she then turned and limped her way through the portal alongside her friend. The moment the pair passed through the dimensional gateway and vanished, it closed shut behind them.

As soon as the portal disappeared, the only things that were left behind were a thoroughly ruined valley, some terrified wildlife, and three physically and mentally drained explorers. Once they were certain the coast was all clear, Johnny and Yosaku propped themselves on their swords as if they were canes, while Rebecca collapsed to her knees, dropping her staff and letting her head drop. Gasping for air, the group of wounded teenagers used the time they'd been given to regain their bearings and collect their thoughts.

"That… was hell…" Johnny commented, looking up with a stunned expression on his face and his hand clutching his cracked ribs, "Damn. I haven't had my ass kicked that badly since… well…" The man shook his head in disbelief. "I can't remember ever having my ass kicked that badly."

"My body feels like it's been run over by a steamroller," Yosaku mumbled under his breath, his words muffled due to his busted nose. Looking over his shoulder at his friend, the man in the headgear frowned. "I can't believe… just one woman… was able to do this to all three of us." He then formed a fist in anger and frustration, but was unable to make anything of it due to how tired he was. "She was playing with us the entire time."

"And you and I didn't even put a scratch on her…" Johnny also muttered, looking down at his sword and his body in disgust. "We were useless."

"Weak…"

While the bounty hunters were in the process of wallowing around in self-pity and loathing, the sound of feet landing next to them drew the bounty hunters' gazes upwards. It was only when the fatigued Rebecca felt a hand press against her shoulder that the princess finally looked to see a battle-damaged Gohan kneeling beside her.

The demi-Saiyan smiled when he saw Rebecca's eyes on him. "Are you alright?"

A slow nod was the princess's response, "Y-Yes… all thanks to your training." When she gave the boy a tired smile, she then noticed the bloody scar that'd been carved across her chest, the cuts and bruises covering his body, and the puncture wound in his left shoulder. Seeing him as he was had Rebecca gasp in horror, "G-Gohan-kun… you're hurt."

"Ah. These?" the demi-Saiyan then looked down at his body and took note of all the wounds he'd sustained. "These are just baby scratches. Don't worry about it. I'll be alright."

"But you're bleeding… a lot," Rebecca commented, placing her fingers to the wound across his chest and pulling away, where she then saw blood dribble down her palm. "I've never seen you receive so many injuries before. I don't think I've ever seen you get injured, _period_. The person you fought must have been really strong."

"Yes… he was," Gohan replied, looking away momentarily with a shrug. "I wanted to get some answers from him about my family and friends, so I did. But he got away before I could finish him off." He then gave his princess a small smile. "We weren't clashing at full power, but I know I can definitely beat him if we ever run into each other again."

When they heard this, the bounty hunters in the background perked up.

"Who were those people, aniki?" Yosaku asked.

"That blue guy and the girl we fought are obviously in cahoots with one another, but aside from that we don't know anything about them," Johnny informed, gripping his sword tightly as he forced himself into a proper standing position. "Where the heck did they come from?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Gohan replied, rubbing the back of his head before wincing and rolling his shoulder, which was still stinging from the wound he'd received there. "All I know is that they have the same strengths and powers that I do… and that they came here from my world… probably from another planet."

Rebecca blinked as she took in this information, "Have you ever met them before… these aliens?"

"No," Gohan replied, his frown deepening. "But for some reason they know who I am… especially their boss."

"And that's… bad, yeah?" Yosaku asked.

"More than anything," Gohan nodded, bringing his hand up and biting his thumb anxiously. "They came to my planet, found the place I disappeared, fought with my friends, beat them, waited for me to show up, and when I didn't… they decided to follow me through the same rift I must have fallen through to get here." Mulling it over in his head, the teen gritted his teeth and looked up. "Given the timeline of events leading up to my disappearance… this Bojack guy and his crew must have come to Earth sometime after my fight with Cell."

That was probably a bit of info he should've tried strangling out of that Gokuha guy when he had the swordsman on the ground. But he was so preoccupied with trying to find out what happened to his friends that the thought never crossed his mind.

And now, as a result of this encounter, even more questions were starting to surface.

Who exactly were these aliens? What planet did they come from? What was their connection to the Cell Games and the Z-fighters? Who was the girl that fought Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku? And, most importantly, how the hell did they know _him_?

After a moment of deep contemplation, Gohan then looked up with a frown, "Whoever this Bojack is… he's bad news. If Piccolo and the others were able to wish my father back after Cell was defeated, and my father was there when Bojack's crew attacked Earth, then they're obviously no pushovers."

"Do you think you'll be able to beat these guys, aniki?" Johnny asked, sounding genuinely worried. "They said they had a crew… which means there are definitely more of them." Gohan was, by far, the strongest guy that he and Yosaku knew. If there was any kind of monster out there that could hurt him of all people, then they definitely had a reason to be scared. The fact that there was probably more of these scumbags terrified them.

However, much to the group's surprise, they saw a smirk cross Gohan's face. "Oh, hell yeah." The Saiyan then looked across at his friends with a slightly more chipper mood. "I'm not going to let some wannabe group of pirates push me around. If they ever show up again… or if we stumble upon their hide out, I'm going to beat them, take down their boss, force him to tell me everything he knows, and then try to find a way back home." Dusting off his hands, he then placed them on his hips and looked at his companions brightly. "Of course, there are a few other things I have to do before that, so I've got a long way to go before this journey is over."

Feeling his mood trickle down onto all of them, Rebecca felt a smile come back to her face, with Johnny and Yosaku following shortly thereafter. The teen's renewed confidence did well in vanquishing the fear and trepidation the group was currently experiencing, and once all was said and done, the troop slowly helped each other back to their feet. With Gohan taking Rebecca by the hand and proceeding to tend to her wounds, Johnny helped carry Yosaku over to a nearby boulder, where they both sat down and began counting one another's bruises.

As the group went about dealing First Aid in whatever fashions they deemed necessary, up on a cliff overlooking the smoldering valley, the four travelers completely missed the hooded figure standing beneath a tree. Cape billowing in the wind, the mysterious figure, the same one from the tavern, observed the party of adventurers from afar. After making sure that they were alright, a small smile crept over their face, before they backed away and disappeared over the rise.

OOO

(Meanwhile)

At the bottom of a steep cliff, well away from both the village and the area where Gohan and his friends had fought, Zoro, Nami, and the three children of Usopp's little gang were all gathered around the unconscious form of Luffy, who was currently lying face down in the rocks, with his posterior hanging in the air.

Sometime after the group had left the mansion, they'd ended up getting separated from Luffy and Usopp. When the swordsman and the navigator went off to try and find them, they wound up at this place, on a cliff where the children said their boss came to think and spend a couple hours alone. It came as a bit of a surprise to the teenagers when they found Luffy lying at the bottom of the rocky slope, at first appearing dead when in actuality he was just snoring away quietly. It was a sight that the crew found both bewildering and comical at the same time.

Wanting to wake his captain up, Zoro lifted his swords to prepare for a firm tap. It was only when Nami spoke up that the man was effectively stopped from performing his action.

"Hey… did you guys feel that?" the orange haired navigator asked, simultaneously looking down the length of the island in confusion.

"Hmm… feel what?" Zoro replied, looking up from the unconscious Luffy to stare at the cat burglar.

Lifting her hand up to her ear, Nami did a small turn and stretched her senses out, all in an effort to get a bead on the disturbance she felt. "Earlier while we were walking down here, I felt a lot of low rumblings coming in from the other side of the island. Not long after that I felt an unusual heat drifting down from the sky… like there was a massive fire going on somewhere." She then narrowed her eyes when she turned her gaze skywards. "No… not a fire… something bigger. I don't know how to explain it."

The swordsman with short green hair shrugged, "Maybe you were just imagining things."

Disapproval formed on Nami's face as she then shot a glare at the former bounty hunter. "I can read weather patterns, tides, and air currents like the back of my hand. Trust me; I wasn't imagining things."

A grumble left Zoro's lips as he too turned to look up at the sky thoughtfully. "Now that you mention it, I did feel the ground shaking beneath us back when we were following the road. I figured I was still a little bit tipsy from the sake we had earlier, but I could tell there was a big earthquake happening nearby."

Trying to appear helpful, the kid with the onion haircut stepped forward, "I saw some lights and smoke rising from Mako-san's farm over the mountain. Maybe he was trying to put a fire out on his crops…"

"Hmm… that's one thing. But that still doesn't explain the tremors I was feeling in the ground," Nami murmured, before she and the others were drawn to the sounds of muffled groaning. Looking down, the crew then watched Luffy pop his head out of the ground, roll over into a sitting position, and give a loud yawn.

Stretching his arms to both sides, the teenage captain grinned satisfactorily, "Morning, everyone." Upon scratching his head, Luffy then began looking at the people standing around him with a sleepy smile on his face, "You guys won't believe this, but I had this really crazy dream. I saw Gohan fighting against some weird blue guy with orange hair and a sword… and Rebecca fighting against this sparkly black haired girl wearing tight shorts. They were destroying everything around them, including the islands nearby. It was awesome."

Sharing a look with each other, Zoro and Nami then cracked a smile and looked back at the excited boy on the ground.

"That's one crazy dream, man," the swordsman remarked humorously.

"But we all know it's not possible for someone to destroy an entire island by themselves," Nami spoke up with a slightly more serious tone, at the same time placing her hands on your hips, "You probably hit your head a little harder than you thought."

The confused Luffy then scratched his cheek, an innocent expression forming on his face as he looked back at his friends. "Hmm… really?" He then stared ahead of him in awe and thought, "But it seemed so real…"

If only they knew.

XXX

(The next morning)

(Dawn)

Yosaku grumbled as he, Johnny, Gohan and Rebecca sat on the edge of the cliff on the North side of the island, overlooking both the beach and water where Nami's ship was still parked. Picking at the patch and tissues jammed up his broken nose, the man in the headgear then looked across at his companions, "I still can't believe we had our tails handed to us so easily by that woman. I mean, geez… kicking us around the battlefield, hypnotizing us with that powder crap that she threw off of her body… I've never been so humiliated in my life…"

"The more you pick at it, the worse it's going to get, mate," Johnny replied, sensing that his teammate was still frustrated by the battle they'd recently fought. In all fairness however, even the cool man in sunglasses was feeling annoyed by it as well.

The evidence was written clearly over the pair's faces and bodies, which were covered from head to toe in bandages and band aids. The most notable injuries on them were the sling around Yosaku's arm, the patches on his face and nose, and the excessive amount of material wrapped around Johnny's stomach for his bruised and/or cracked ribs.

Rebecca was sporting a fair few bandages as well, but mostly patches from the beat down she'd received. Gohan on the other hand had the whole caboodle; stitches for the puncture wound in his shoulder, which was also wrapped tightly in cloth and bandages, patches on both his cheeks and forehead, bandages wrapped around his legs and chest where he'd been slashed, and a few other areas that'd received some damage. Overall, he seemed to be doing rather well.

However, the fact remained that neither one of the four had managed to defeat the people that'd attacked them yesterday, which left a rather bad aftertaste in their mouths. Despite coming out alive and in one piece, Johnny and Yosaku were feeling miserable, Rebecca was annoyed but doing a good job at hiding it, and Gohan was straight-up frustrated.

They did their best to cheer themselves up by watching the sun set and counting the stars. But even after a good dinner and a good sleep in the grasslands, when they woke up super early that morning, the four of them still felt incredibly despondent and unsatisfied.

"I want to beat somebody up," Yosaku finally grumbled.

"Ugh. Same here. After that mess-up of a battle we had the other day, I just want to bury my fist into someone's torso… preferably a pirate's," Johnny also muttered, before looking over at Gohan to see the teen gazing dejectedly at the ocean alongside Rebecca. "What about you two?"

Drumming her fingers over her staff and ignoring the fact that she had blisters on them from using her weapon so much during her battle, the royal sighed. "Though I'm still uncomfortable with the idea of intentionally causing harm to another person, I still have my pride as a fighter and my honor as a princess to live up to. A draw against an adversary of equal strength and speed won't satisfy me."

"I agree," Gohan said, flexing his fingers anxiously. He then looked across the sea with a frown, "No matter how hard I try, I still can't help but get revved up before and after a good fight. The fact that mine was cut short just pisses me off." Slamming his fist into his open palm showcased his present feelings. "I need to find something to take my mind off of this; otherwise I think I'm going to go insane." His three friends nodded in agreement and, after a moment of silence, the four of them breathed a heavy sigh in unison.

For the next few minutes the group sat at the edge of the cliff, watching as the distant sky started to brighten with the approaching sun. It looked like they were in for another long and quiet day, in which they would be able to spend recovering from their battles, until Yosaku spotted something approaching them on the horizon. Squinting, he then reached into his back pocket and, after a bit of rummaging, pulled out a small spyglass. Opening it up, he peered through it, getting a good look at the distant object before nudging Johnny in the side, which earned a yelp from the wounded man.

"Hey. There's a ship out there," the bounty hunter said, getting to his feet and pointing. When the others looked in the direction he was directing them, Yosaku then tossed the spyglass to Gohan, who then had a look through the lens as well. "Right there. Just a few clicks away from that formation of clouds. It's a pirate ship."

"Pirate ship!" Johnny said while jumping to his feet, running up to the edge of the cliff and staring across the ocean as well. "Seriously?"

"Why would there be pirates out here in these waters?" Rebecca asked, tilting her head in confusion as she stood beside Gohan with her staff across her shoulders. "I had a look at Nami's map. There's a marine outpost not too far from here. Are they looking for something… or are they just passing by?"

"My guess would be the latter," Johnny said, before shrugging. "Maybe…" He then looked over at his teammate. "Did you make out anything while you were staring at it?"

"It's a pretty big boat. Probably some kind of galleon," Yosaku informed, rubbing his chin considerately. "Red and black hull, a cat-shaped figurehead, double mast… and judging from the sidings and armaments on deck, the crew seems to be packing heat."

"Cannons?" Johnny asked.

"Yep… a lot of them," Yosaku answered. He then looked over at their Saiyan leader, who he could see was still glaring through the spyglass. "What do you think, Gohan-aniki? Should we head back to town and warn the villagers?" It was then the group noticed the big, devilish grin that crossed the Saiyan's face. When they saw the teen's lips twitch a little wider, the man in the head gear stammered nervously. "Umm… aniki?"

The spiky haired warrior let out a chuckle as he lowered the telescope from his eye and closed it with a snap. "Guys… I think we just solved our transportation problem." Tossing the eyeglass back over to Yosaku, he then glanced over at Rebecca and nodded to her. "Keen for an early morning workout?"

Sensing excitement and the promise of redemption, the pink haired princess grinned, "Oh yeah." She then spun the staff over her shoulder and into her hand.

That was all the Saiyan needed to hear. "We're going to have to skip the stretching portion of the session. Buckle up." Wrapping an arm around her waist, doing the same to Yosaku and grabbing Johnny by the jacket, Gohan then sprang from the cliff and leapt right over the water, flying straight towards the ship in the distance…

OOO

(Onboard the Bezan Black)

The ship's deck was crowded with an entire force of shaggy, lanky, heavily armed men, all of whom were armed to the teeth with swords and pistols. Judging from all the ruckus going on, from the cannons being towed about, ammunition being dealt, and blades being sharpened, it was clear that they were readying themselves for an assault.

Their target: the main island in the middle of the Gecko Island chain.

As the men hurried about to grab the last of their gear, their captain oversaw the final stages of their approach. Standing by the helm, the pirate in charge of the vessel turned out to be the same hypnotist Gohan's group had encountered on the island the day before; a thin man with long, shaggy white hair, adorned in green pants, pointy shoes, white shirt, a black captain's cloak with golden rings embroidering it, a wide-rimmed black hat of similar design, and pink glasses with love-heart shaped lenses.

Striking a pose by the wheel, the man then did a very elegant twirl before, with a firm swing, turned the ship towards the beach. "Alright, men! Let's get this raid party underway! Next stop; Syrup Village!" The moment he made his announcement, the every single member of the crew gave a loud, collective cheer.

"We're with you, Captain Jango!" a random man from the crowd roared.

"Yeah! Take us to another victory!"

"Hey. Who are those guys?"

The third exclamation had every single person in sight stop what they were doing and look towards the center of their vessel. Even the captain, still striking a dance-like pose, turned his attention to the lower deck in confusion. There, standing around a series of crates, they saw a group of four teenagers in bandages, three men and one girl, arranged into a defensive circle and glaring at the platoon of sailors scattered around them.

Amidst the confused and bewildered silence of the men on board, Gohan, hopping down from his position on the barrels, walked forward and smirked at the army of pirates standing before them. Taking note of their choices of dress, with the most prominent aspects of their clothing being cat ears, eyeliner and whiskers, the Saiyan then nodded to the crew in greeting.

"Did you fellas say you were having some kind of party?" Gohan asked, at the same time raising his hand to wave, "Sweet. Mind if we cut in?"

Jango, adjusting his shades, left the helm to glare down at the newcomers, "Hey! You're not part of our crew! Where the hell did you four come from?!"

"The island. You know… the one that you guys are sailing towards right now with all hands on deck," Gohan answered, gesturing to the landmass the ship was slowly approaching, causing every pirate there to glance in that general direction. "My friends and I spotted your ship floating by from the cliffs a little while ago and, well… since we were all feeling a tad bit grumpy this morning, we decided to cheer ourselves up by commandeering your vessel and beating all of you moppets up until we're satisfied." The moment he uttered these words, Rebecca slammed the tip of her staff into the deck and caused the men standing nearby to jump back a little when she cracked the wood.

"Say what?!" the captain barked in surprise, gripping the railing of the upper level to gape down at the intruders. "You want to take over our ship?!" The other members of his crew looked equally stumped.

"That's right," Johnny answered, grabbing the handle of his sword while Yosaku drew his from his belt completely.

"Now… we're going to make this nice and simple for you," Gohan said, while looking the lead pirate squarely in the eye, "If all of you would just kindly lay down your arms and place your hands on top of your heads, I promise we'll make this occupation of your ship as quick and painless as possible. If not, the four of us will be more than happy to emasculate each and every one of you and throw your asses overboard." The instant Gohan finished his ultimatum, the sound of weapons being drawn rang out all around, and the four intruders found themselves surrounded by swords and pistols. Still smiling while Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku readied themselves for battle, the Saiyan shrugged. "Okay. Overboard it is then…"

OOO

(Sometime later)

When Luffy, Nami, Zoro and Usopp learned of Klahadore's true identity as Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates, as well as his heinous plot to attack the island and assassinate Kaya, the four unlikely adventurers spent the whole night scrambling about and preparing for a fight. After gathering everything they needed, the group then assembled at the slope by the cliffs leading into the island from the beach, where the attack was said to take place in a few hours. Once they were in position, the group then poured a heavy layer of oil down the path to prevent anyone from scaling the steep incline without sliding back down.

The invasion was scheduled to go off at dawn and by the time the sun had started to rise, the four of them were ready to face whatever army was coming to storm their coast.

However, when an hour passed and the group saw and heard no signs of a ship or an attack, Usopp suddenly realized that they were on the wrong side of the island. From that point, the crew then attempted to get to the northern cliffs as quickly as possible in their own respective ways. Luffy sprinted off in the direction he perceived to be North, but in reality was actually West, Zoro ended up sliding down their cleverly laid trap somehow and had a great deal of trouble getting out of it, and Usopp and Nami, being the smartest and most grounded of the four, went exactly where they needed to go.

Eventually after their chaotic runaround of the island, the four teenagers arrived at the beach where Nami's dingy had been docked. There, they saw the immense form of Kuro's ship sitting in the sand; an enormous frigate with a black cat figurehead on the front and dozens of cannons poking out the port holes. All in all, the Bezan Black looked like a terrifying force to be reckoned with.

Assuming battle positions with weapons drawn and fists clenched, the four eager and nervous teenagers then waited for the pirates on board to leap out and attack them. They were certain that if they held their ground, even without a barrel of oil to assist them, they would be able to stop these invaders from attacking the island and push them back into the sea. But after several minutes of standing in the middle of the slope dropped into fighting poses, the scene quickly transformed into one of awkward silence, and the crew then looked around at each other in confusion.

"Now… I don't know much about defending islands from a heavily armed force, but I'm pretty sure there are supposed to be enemy soldiers involved," Zoro said, sheathing two of his katanas and looking at the vessel with a raised eyebrow.

Usopp blinked, "I don't understand. Where is everyone? Shouldn't there be people jumping off of the boat right about now?"

"Maybe they're having second thoughts," Nami whispered optimistically. Given their track record however, she highly doubted that was the reason. "Or… maybe we missed them."

"Impossible," Usopp replied, shaking his head. "We followed the only road leading into the village from here and we didn't pass a single pirate. Plus this is the only way to get into the island safely. That means they've either abandoned ship or they're still hiding on the boat."

Tapping his foot and scrunching his face up impatiently, Luffy made a disapproving noise before speaking loudly, "I'm bored. This is _boring_ ," he said in a whiny tone of voice, before taking a deep breath, cupping his hands on either side of his mouth and shouting, "HEY! What are you guys doing hiding in there? Come out here and fight us!" He was then clocked over the head by Nami's staff, with an infuriated navigator glaring daggers at him.

"Idiot! Don't provoke them!" Nami hissed angrily, "The more time we can buy the better! So keep it down!"

"But I really, _really_ want to fight these guys!" Luffy groaned, looking back at the girl baring her fangs at him. "Can't I just have a little bit of fun?"

"When other peoples' lives are not on the line; sure. But not now," Nami replied sternly, causing her captain to deflate emotionally.

After several more minutes of just staring at the cat-faced ship and drumming his fingers along the handle of his sword passed, Zoro then shrugged in bemusement, "So… what? Do we just wait here or… are we going to attack them?"

Usopp shrugged, "We could ambush them on their ship and take them by surprise. Hell, they might even be treasure stored away on board."

At this, Nami's eyes lit up with Beli signs, "Treasure? Oh, hell yeah!" She then pulled up her staff and prepared to march towards the craft sitting in front of them, "Let's go, boys!"

"What the hell is going on over here?!" a loud yell from overhead drew their attention over their shoulders. When the four looked up to the top of the slope, they saw the skinny silhouette of the well-dressed Klahadore standing over them and glaring in their direction. Adjusting his glasses with his palm, showing his wrist was wrapped in bandages, the butler then growled. "The sun is getting closer to its summit and the village is still standing. What's taking you morons so long to get off that boat and start raiding these fools?" Clearly he was directing this question to his crew, who he suspected were still on their boat.

The man's appearance as well as his aggressive statements had Zoro grab the sword at his side and spin around, "The butler." The others followed his lead, with Usopp pulling his goggles over his eyes and reaching for his slingshot.

Glasses flashing when he noticed the four teenagers standing in front of him, Klahadore/Captain Kuro glowered, "You four? Why are all of you out here?" His eyes then glanced up, "And where is my idiot crew?"

Almost immediately after saying that, two shadows suddenly passed over the teenager's heads, a split second before a pair of bodies crashed into the path between them and Kuro. When the dust settled, the groups saw that the pair of objects lying in a crumpled heap in front of them were two men dressed in cat-themed costumes, one fat and one thin, wearing big gloves fitted with cat-claw style blades, all of which appeared cracked and damaged. Judging from their disheveled and battered states, it was clear that someone had taken the liberty of beating the crap out of them before tossing them overboard.

Klahadore was confused, as he easily identified the two unconscious pirates lying in front of him as his allies, "Buchi? Sham? What's going on?"

Stunned, both Kuro and the Straw Hat group turned to the ship, where they quickly spotted four figures standing around the figurehead.

Dusting his hands from the throw, Gohan then adjusted the scarf around his neck and smiled down at the slope he could see several yards away. During which time Johnny and Yosaku struck heroic poses in an effort to look cool, while Rebecca casually rested her staff across her shoulders, with her hands hanging over it. Aside from a few scrapes on the bounty hunters and the bandages they were wearing, all of them were looking pretty chipper.

"Ahoy down there!" Gohan waved, before then gesturing grandly to the boat he was standing on. "Hey! Guess what, you guys! I finally got myself a new ship!"

In response, Luffy's eyes bugged out in excitement and a boisterous cry left his lips, "AWESOME, GOHAN! You managed to find one? That's so cool!" His exclamations caused sweat drops to form on Nami, Zoro and Usopp's heads, as the fact that Gohan was standing on top of what they identified as the enemy ship had gone completely over their captain's head.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the half-Saiyan standing on the boat, "You took on the entire crew all by yourselves?" When Johnny and Yosaku grinned and stuck their heads in the air proudly, the former pirate tilted his head, "How did you do it?"

Rubbing the underside of his nose with his finger, Yosaku sniffed and chuckled arrogantly, "Well… it was pretty easy."

"Since Yosaku and I are two of the toughest bounty hunters on the East Blue, a force of this caliber is nothing compared to us," Johnny followed up, clearly feeling reinvigorated from their string of victories over the ship's cannon fodder. "Their swords were no match for our steel."

"It was a clean and thorough sweep. We got them all." Gohan then pointed down at the men they'd just thrown over the side, "Aside from those two lying on the footpath in front of you, the rest of the crew wasn't that difficult to deal with."

Usopp blinked in amazement, "Wow. You guys don't mess around, do you?"

Rebecca giggled, "Nope."

"In this case, we didn't. We, uhh… the four of us had a pretty rough morning. Didn't sleep too well," Gohan explained, before then stomping his foot on the ship's railing. "The crew is tied up in the hull. We're planning on taking them over to the next island and cashing them in for some kind of a reward."

It was this information that had Nami hop forward with her hands locked together eagerly, "Did you find any treasure while you were on board?"

"Oh yeah," Gohan chuckled, before he and Rebecca held up two enormous sacks of cash and gold. "It's quite a haul they've got."

"Clearly these men have been on the loose for some time on these waters," the princess remarked informatively, "Even without their Captain Kuro to lead them, they've been pretty successful over the last few months."

"Half of it is yours if you want it, Nami-chan," Gohan said, earning an excited squeal from the orange haired navigator. This put a wide grin on the young Saiyan's step. "Of course… this _will_ be added to the bill of how much you already owe me." In response, a despondent look appeared on Nami's face.

Getting incredibly annoyed at how everyone was straight-up ignoring him, the now thoroughly pissed off Klahadore unzipped the bag he was carrying and pulled out two gloves, with long, black blades attached to each finger. "This is… unacceptable!" The man's shout and the sound of metal clanking drew everyone's attention back to him, where they saw the butler was now armed with specially designed, custom gauntlets. "Not only have my subordinates failed me, but I find a bunch of rats scurrying about this island and ruining my plans!" Flexing his finger blades, he then crossed them over his chest and took a stance. "The name of Captain Kuro will be erased from the pages of history! But before that happens, he will perform one last act of vengeance before disappearing from this world!"

The group standing on the slope braced themselves, as they saw the butler was ready to attack. So did Johnny and Yosaku. But all that changed with the arrival of yet another unexpected figure.

"Klahadore! Stop this! Right now!" Turning to the nearby cliff, Kuro, the Straw Hats, and Gohan's team saw the unmistakable form of Kaya, adorned in a long outdoor coat, standing there, breathing heavily, with a firm look on her face. Obviously having run down here from the mansion, the young girl had her attention locked firmly on her butler. "Everything that Usopp said about you was true. I heard everything from Merry."

"Hmph," Kuro grunted, looking at the girl with a disappointed frown, "So he's still alive? I could've sworn I finished him off."

Kaya then proceeded to try and reason with her butler to stand down. She even tried to bribe him, offering the captain an enormous sum of money so long as he promised to leave the village alone. This earned a harsh laugh from the butler, who simply smirked back at her. "You misunderstand, Kaya-ojousama. Though it is true that I want your money, what I really want is a normal, peaceful life, away from the chaotic environment of the sea. I spent the last three years on this island earning the trust and respect of the villagers… including you… and I refuse to let it go to waste." He then turned his full ire towards her. "I interacted with you almost every day, took care of you while you were sick, went into town to shop, and shared precious moments of both sadness and joy. All that time I expended was leading up to this very moment… where I would finally be able to kill you."

Sensing a disturbance with her Haki, Rebecca's eyes widened before the girl dropped the bag of Beli she was carrying and sprang into the air in a blur. Gohan also readied to jump in, but allowed his student to take the lead.

Finally understanding that he was there to kill her no matter what, Kaya pulled out a pistol and pointed it at him. However, with a quick flurry of footsteps, the butler vanished, leaving a trail of dust shooting up the road and across the grass towards the girl's position.

A split second later, a shadow appeared directly behind Kaya with its blades drawn back and ready for a kill. However, the moment Kuro moved to strike down the helpless blonde, Rebecca suddenly appeared between the two and stopped his blades with her staff. Sparks flew between the fighters as they faced one another down, with the butler appearing the most surprised when he saw that the girl was able to match his speed with her own.

When Kaya spun around and found Rebecca's back to her with Kuro directly in front of her, something small and fast then shot over her right shoulder and nailed Klahadore in the forehead, knocking his head back and shooting his glasses off. A tiny pachinko ball then bounced off of the floor, with Zoro and Nami turning to see that it was Usopp that had fired the shot.

"Don't you dare touch her!" the long-nosed marksman shouted.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Rebecca spun around and nailed Klahadore in the stomach with a kick, pushing the air out of his lungs and sending him flying across the grass.

" _ **Gomu Gomu no Dakkan!"**_ (Gum Gum Retrieval) As soon as the princess had struck her opponent, Luffy shot his hands forward, grabbed Kaya around the waist, and pulled her down to the road where the rest of the group was standing. When the girl noticed Usopp's friends position themselves around her defensively, she then glanced over her shoulder to see a cheerful Luffy grinning from ear to ear. "Hey there. Don't worry. We'll protect you."

His words put a smile on Kaya's face. "Yes. Thank you, pirate-san."

Growling in frustration when he saw Luffy retrieve the girl, Kuro shot a couple of glances between Rebecca, who was currently staring him down, and the crew positioned on the slope. After taking a moment to analyze the skills that they'd shown, the damage he'd taken, and the defensive circle they'd formed around Kaya, the butler decided on the swiftest and most appropriate course of action. Being outnumbered and with few options available, this was the only logical choice.

With a few brisk steps, the man once again vanished in a puff of smoke. Eyes widening in alarm, Rebecca swung out with her staff, missing when the butler vaulted clear over her head and dove towards the road like a bullet. When he landed at the top of the hill, he then made a B-line down the slope towards his targets.

" _Avoid fighting the woman. Focus on Kaya-ojousama."_

Usopp, his slingshot at the ready, began firing a salvo of projectiles at the air in front of them, hoping against all odds to hit the man traveling through it. Despite his best efforts though, his pachinko balls missed Kuro by yards, but the boy kept shooting anyway.

" _First line of defense,"_ Kuro thought as he successfully avoided the pellets in bullet time.

Reacting quickly, Zoro sprinted forward and attempted to intercept the blur charging towards them. _**"Tora Gari!"**_ (Tiger Hunt) His swords lashed out in two, individual blue flashes, only to miss his target entirely when Klahadore darted around him in a wide arc. A spray of blood flying off the former bounty hunter indicated a direct hit, as five slash marks were carved down Zoro's side.

" _Second line,"_ Kuro smirked.

"Shit!" the green haired fighter cursed, stumbling backwards from the running blow. "He's too fast!"

Seeing Klahadore heading their way, Luffy then jumped in front of Kaya and launched his fists forward as fast as he could. _**"Gomu Gomu no Gatoringu!"**_ (Gum Gum Gatling) His arms stretched and retracted in a rapid fire manner, filling the air with a barrage of fists that threatened to take out anything traveling between them. Due to there being very little to no space between his punches, it was very likely that Kuro would get caught up in the assault.

However, the butler wasn't going to get done in so easily. Seeing the wall of fists flying at him through his reflexes and sense of timing, Kuro cracked a smile and sprang off to the side, hiking up the cliff and avoiding Luffy's opening assault with barely any effort. _"You think you can catch me? That's your third line!"_ When he saw more fists starting to fly towards him as the kid in the straw hat tracked his trajectory, the butler ran along the rocky wall and dove behind Kaya and Nami, well out of reach of Luffy's attack.

The two women, sensing danger behind them, looked over their shoulders in shock.

"And this is your last," the butler informed, seeing Nami dive in front of the girl with her own weapon raised. Knowing he could cut through this one without any issue, Kuro's left arm cranked back before thrusting forward to impale the girls on all five fingers. _"Checkmate."_

Just as his attack was inches from hitting his intended targets, the man suddenly felt his arm get caught on something, causing his body to jerk to a stop. Eyes snapping over his shoulder, Klahadore saw Gohan standing directly behind him, hand gripping his wrist and keeping him in place.

As soon as he had him, the Saiyan frowned, "I warned you, didn't I? I told you not to cause any more trouble around here, but you didn't listen. Now you're going to have to answer to me." When he saw Kuro spin around and jab his broken wrist and the blades attached to it towards his stomach, Gohan didn't bother to block as the weapons slammed into him and shattered like glass.

Seeing the weapons break into dozens of pieces had the Straw Hat gang, Nami and Kaya look at the spiky haired teen in shock, as Gohan didn't appear hurt or affected by the attack at all.

The one who appeared most surprised however was Kuro, whose eyes reflected nothing but fear and disbelief. "W-What the hell are you?"

"You know… a lot of people have asked me that same question. And after breezing through over two dozen of you guys, I think I know what my answer is going to be from now on." Giving the butler a cold stare, Gohan grabbed Kuro's extended arm, brought the other one down, and gripped the two of them in one hand. After which the young vigilante decided to grace the man with an answer. "Someone who cares."

Jaw dropping slightly, Kuro gritted his teeth in rage, "My plan cannot fail! You hear me?! It's per-" He was effectively cut off when Gohan raised his free hand, formed a fist, and, in a blur, flicked his finger right into his face. The speed and force Gohan hit him with was the force of a fully thrown punch, which managed to knock the butler's head back with a loud 'smack'. More loud thumps then began to ring out as Gohan finger flicked Kuro in the face over and over again at an agonizing pace, causing the bad guy's head to bounce back and forth.

"Seven! Eight! Nine!" Gohan counted with every flick he landed, watching the damage mount on Kuro's mug like a slideshow. First the man's nose started to bleed. Then his right eye swelled shut from the bruising. After that, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and onto his shirt, with his forehead also developing angry red welts and bruises. Then, after about twenty slaps, the man's face was so beaten up that it looked like the guy had just walked out of a twelve round boxing match, in which he'd spent the entire time pinned against the ropes.

Gohan stopped on the twentieth finger slap, as his opponent had clearly lost consciousness by then. When Kuro hung limply from Gohan's hand, completely out of it, the teen then heaved the guy over his shoulder and looked down at Nami and Kaya, both of whom were staring up at him in awe. "You girls alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Kaya, being the first to recover, nodded weakly, "N-No. You saved us. Thank you." She then looked at the battered form of Captain Kuro slung over him. "Is… Is Klahadore going to be okay?"

The demi-Saiyan smiled down at the guy, "Yeah, he'll be fine. Though he might have a bit of a concussion and a headache when he wakes up, with some good rest and first aid, he should be up and about in several days. I'll be sure to treat him properly before taking him to a bounty station. Hopefully once there they'll be able to give him some reasonable jail time." He then cracked a grin at his friends, all of whom had started to gather in front of him, Rebecca included. "Being as strong as I am, I feel kind of bad for beating guys up like this. But since it was his choice to act like a jerk, my karma sort of balances out."

Luffy snickered as he slipped his hands behind his head, "You sure beat him up good though. That was funny to watch."

"I agree. That was one hell of a way to knock somebody out," Zoro remarked, gripping the gash marks in his side while grinning at the Saiyan, "I never realized you were strong enough to take a guy out using only finger flicks." He then glanced towards Rebecca, who'd returned her staff to the strap on her back. "Did you know he could do that?"

The princess nodded, "Yeah. I saw him defeat several pirates in the same manner, though he would often use only a single hit. Since he has enough strength to split a mountain in two with his bare hands, he has to be very careful with how he uses his power." Rebecca then placed her hands on her hips and beamed at her teacher. "Someday… I hope to become that strong too."

Zoro chuckled, "Now there's a terrifying thought." Unbeknownst to the two of them, they missed the sight of Johnny and Yosaku attempting to clamber down the ship, and hilariously falling from the bow and into the water.

As Gohan accepted thanks from Usopp and Kaya simultaneously, Nami looked upon the boy as if he were the most fascinating thing in the world. She held her weapon loosely in her hand as she listened to the boy bashfully receive Kaya's gratitude. _"Gohan-kun… who or what are you?"_ she thought in amazement. _"Where does a guy like you even come from?"_ After watching him sail in on a ship he'd basically taken over with only three other people and stop Kuro without breaking a sweat, while the others struggled to even hit him, she knew there was a lot more to him than meets the eye.

He'd saved her life again, making it a total of two, and was repeatedly impressing her with every stage of the journey they were covering across the East Blue.

Frankly, Nami didn't know how to even comprehend most of the thoughts running through her head, especially when she saw the Saiyan turn to her and smile, earning an embarrassed flush from the orange haired girl in return.

"Captain Kuro was one of the most notorious and famous pirates in the East Blue," Zoro stated while watching Johnny and Yosaku limp over to them, dripping wet.

"You guys must be exhausted from fighting the entire crew," Usopp commented in amazement.

"No. Not really," Gohan chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.

"The fight we had yesterday was even tougher than the one these guys gave us," Rebecca informed, before then showing off the bandages they were all wearing.

After looking at the princess, Nami then looked back at Gohan, whom she saw also had a ton of bandages wrapped around him, "I was gonna say… who in the world did you get into a fight with while you were staying on this island?" This was actually the first time she'd seen Gohan with bruises and cuts, so it came as a bit of a surprise to her.

The Saiyan laughed nervously and shrugged, "Long story. We'll tell you about it later."

"Well…" Nami then cracked a smile at the spiky haired warrior, "As long as you're okay, Gohan-kun, then we don't have anything to worry about. We're just glad you, Rebecca, Johnny and Yosaku are alright."

Gohan noticed the tone Nami spoke with when she addressed him, as well as the honorific she ended his name. He decided to push that thought to the back of his mind for future reference, and simply smiled back at the navigator. When he turned his attention to the rest of the group, he then shrugged Kuro's body up his shoulder and nodded. "The day has been saved and everyone here is safe. I call that an end to a very good week."

XXX

(The very next day)

After the battle with the Black Cat Pirates and the mysterious warriors from another world, the Straw Hat crew and Gohan's group spent the following night and day resting up in Syrup Village. As it turns out, none of the townsfolk had any idea of the battles that had taken place nearby, but opted to remain quiet about it for the sake of maintaining the peace in this region. So, keeping to the status quo, the two crews decided to enjoy themselves for however amount of time they had left here.

On the day following their little skirmish on the beach, Gohan, Luffy and their friends were enjoying a nice, big lunch over in the local tavern. Just a few minutes after they'd finished, Kaya, who was back on her feet and moving about on her own, came in and told the group to meet her down on the shore where the Saiyan had parked Captain Kuro's ship. When they got there, there was a very special surprise waiting for them.

While Gohan and everybody else whistled and cheered in their own respective ways, Nami clapped her hands together with delight, "It's a caravel."

What Kaya had just done, was introduce the Straw Hats to their new ship; the one that Luffy had been asking for all this time. What stood before them was a beautifully designed vessel of timber and oak wood, with a frame and triple-mast system that came together in a flawless stern-centered control system. While the trim and the railings were painted white, the rest was left a gorgeous chestnut brown, with a ram figurehead at the bow, and a red and white striped sail towards the rear.

Though it wasn't as big as Kuro's ship, which was sitting directly alongside it, it was still the most striking of the boats that were resting in the shallows.

Luffy was obviously very pleased, "Is this ship really for us?!"

"Yes," Kaya chirped with a brilliant smile, "Please accept it, as thanks for everything you and your friends have done for me."

One of the servant's of Kaya's house, Merry, a middle-aged male in a tailored suit, with a ram-style haircut, beamed at the group's collective reactions. "Although this ship is somewhat old-fashioned, it still possesses an abundance of features that will allow it to compete with even the best of them. After all, I was the one who designed it." Sounding proud at these words, the man then turned towards the vessel and began breaking it down little by little. "As you said, it's a caravel vessel with triple masts and a steering system that's operated at the rear by a single stick and rudder. I call it the 'Going Merry'."

"What a lovely name. And for such a wonderful looking ship too," Rebecca commented, placing her hands behind her as she moved forward to give the ship a closer inspection. Even Johnny and Yosaku were in awe at the aesthetic qualities that'd been put behind its design.

"Luffy-aniki got himself a custom caravel," Johnny whispered.

"Awesome," Yosaku added with equal enthusiasm.

Merry then focused his attention on Luffy. "Now then, let me tell you how to operate the vessel. First there's getting it started and then adjusting-"

"Oh. No, no!" Nami exclaimed, jumping in the way of the captain with her arms outstretched, "Just tell me how to operate the ship, Merry-san. He… wouldn't be able to understand. Trust me."

While the confused Merry went on to explain to the navigator the various ups and downs of his specially designed vessel, Gohan and the others moved in for a closer look. Caught up in the magic of the moment, Johnny and Yosaku patted down the sides and rubbed their faces against the fresh paint of the boat, at the same time Luffy and Rebecca checked out the ram-style figureheads. Zoro kept his distance from the others with his arms crossed and a big, appreciative smile on his face.

"Finally, we've got a boat that we can really stretch our legs on," the swordsman remarked. "I can't wait to try out the crow's nest."

"Kind of a nice change from the little dinghies you guys have been sailing around in all this time," Gohan added, turning to the swordsman and gesturing to Captain Kuro's ship sitting beside them. "I'm pretty happy with my ship too. Though it'll take a while to tidy up all the rooms and strip away the cat-themed stuff, I think I can make this old girl a worthwhile tub that can take us across the Grand Line."

Rebecca, backing up into her Saiyan trainer, threw him an amused grin and elbowed him in the side, "It's funny how every single ship you've owned so far previously belonged to a bunch of pirates you've defeated."

"Probably has something to do with my luck. Though in this particular case, I would call it a fair trade for all the pain we've suffered for the last few weeks," Gohan chuckled, before then doing his best 'mafia boss' impression with his fingers pressed together and cheeks puffed out. "I made them an offer they couldn't refuse." The expression he made had Rebecca giggle and Zoro laugh out loud

"I've prepared some things that you guys will need to sail across the East Blue, including food, water, and sake," Kaya informed, appearing both pleased and excited at the group's upcoming adventure. "I hope it'll be enough."

"Thanks a lot. We're very grateful for everything," Luffy exclaimed brightly.

"Somebody please stop me!"

An incoming scream drew everyone's attention to the slope by the cliffs, where they saw what looked to be a large ball the size of a cart bouncing off of the walls and flying towards them. It took a moment for the group to realize that it was actually Usopp attached to that ball and, being the courteous people that they were, Gohan, Luffy and Zoro moved in and stopped the man from rolling into their ships. They did so by jumping into the path and planting a foot into the side of the object.

"Th-Thank you," Usopp squawked through the sandal and boots in his face.

"No problem," Luffy chirped.

After the sharpshooter managed to remove himself from the ball he'd been stuck to, which revealed itself to be an enormous bag stuffed with supplies and clothing, Gohan decided it was time for their crews to part ways. Since Usopp had decided to join Luffy and his crew on their journey, and they now had a ship of their own, the Saiyan knew that they would be fine on their own. With a clap of his hands, the Saiyan quickly ushered Johnny and Yosaku onto their boat, with Rebecca following after them once she'd finished bidding the Straw Hats farewell. Before he could chase after his friends, the demi-Saiyan turned to Nami and the others, and waved at them one last time.

"We'll be taking off now. Perhaps we'll meet up with you guys on the Grand Line or on the next island after we drop Kuro and his boys off at the bounty station," Gohan informed, which earned nods of understanding from Zoro and Luffy.

"Yeah. Happy sailing, Gohan," the rubber boy in the straw hat chirped with an equally enthusiastic salute.

"You too mate."

Seeing her friend prepare to leave, Nami jogged over to the young traveler and looked up at him. "I hope we'll meet again soon. How will we be able to stay in touch with you?"

An idea popping into his head, the demi-Saiyan held his hand out to her. When the navigator took it, he placed his other hand on top of her wrist. There was a flash of blue light under his palm and when Gohan pulled his hand away seconds later, he revealed he'd placed a golden bracelet on Nami's wrist, with her name written in Kanji on it.

Upon seeing the girl inspect it, the Saiyan beamed, "I can track anything with my ki signature on it. This bracelet will act as a beacon for me. As long as you're wearing that, I'll be able to find you on any part of the world."

When Gohan explained this function to her, Nami looked up at him with a big smile, and nodded to him in understanding. "It's lovely. Thank you." She then walked up to the boy and gave him a hug, which he returned gladly.

Separating from her moments later allowed the demi-Saiyan to turn around and head towards his ship. But just before he could get completely out of reach, the Saiyan turned around and pulled something out of his obi. "Whoops. Almost forgot." He then tossed something over to Nami, who caught it and looked to see it was another capsule. "A little bit of the treasure we found on Kuro's ship. I know how much you wanted it, so…"

Nami squealed and gave the young man a big smile, "Have I ever told you how amazing you are?"

"Many times," Gohan said, giving her one last grin, before back-flipping right up onto the railing of his ship. The moment he did, Johnny and Yosaku dropped the sails, and the boat started to move.

The group on board the Black Cat ship all stood together on the stern and waved at the Straw Hats on the beach. They didn't stop waving until they were out of sight and, several minutes later, the ship began a fast and gentle trek toward the next island.

XXX

(A couple days later)

The journey in their newly acquired vessel was a strange and uncomfortable one, partly because of the fact the group hadn't been on a boat that was so large in quite some time. Then there was also the fact that they also had a black cat as a figurehead, which practically screamed all kinds of signals. Johnny and Yosaku believed that the very theme of their vessel would bring them bad luck and ruin, and tiptoed around the deck with one eye glued over their shoulder. Even Gohan was put-off by the state of their ship, because it smelled like catnip and was driving him up the wall.

Rebecca thought the boat looked cute and spent the last two days between her training sessions admiring the various feline ornaments. Her chipper mood and immediate liking to the ship steered the others into coping with the situation too, and after much of the cleaning of the rooms was done by the two bounty hunters, they were able to sit back and enjoy the luxury presented by the vessel.

After two days of straight sailing, training, and looking after the dozens of prisoners they had confined below deck, including the former Captain Kuro, the group finally pulled into their next island destination. Here, Gohan and the others lined up the pirates, did a headcount to make sure they weren't missing anyone, and dragged them off to the nearest bounty station in chains. Though it took them a while to ascertain the identity of Klahadore, since he'd faked his death three years ago before moving into Kaya's mansion, Gohan managed to complete the exchange with good, old-fashioned charm and reasoning.

When they left the building, they left with their pockets stuffed with cash. To celebrate their success, they decided to go to a pub for a drink.

Here, Johnny and Yosaku helped themselves to all the beer they could drink, while Gohan engaged Rebecca in an enjoyable conversation. As they sat at the bar, tuning out the rabble of other patrons as well as their two companions sitting beside them, the Saiyan couldn't help but let a few lingering questions on his mind slip into their midst.

"Though I'm sure we'll be able to handle most of the other pirates we come across on these seas, the trouble is going to be Bojack's gang," Gohan murmured, lowering his drink to the desk and turning his gaze to the princess next to him. "Since there's a good chance we're going to run into them sometime in the future, I'm going to need to train you up in order to face them. And that means more weights and more fighting."

Rebecca blinked curiously, "Do you think you'll be able to make me as strong as one of them in the time that we have?" Dressrosa was a really long way away. But with the inclusion of this new threat, their schedule had now become a lot more unpredictable.

"There's a good chance. But time is all I've got… and you can bet I'm going to spend every second of it giving it my best shot," the Saiyan replied with a broad smile. "How about you?"

The pink haired girl nodded and raised her glass to him, "You already know my answer. I said that I would take anything you can throw at me… and that's exactly what I intend to do. Don't hold anything back, Gohan-kun."

A chink rang out as the pair clacked their drinks together, which ended in them taking a big long gulp. Setting the mugs down and exhaling simultaneous sighs of enjoyment, the Saiyan with the scarf and tight black shirt then looked ahead of him thoughtfully. "Klahadore was easy. But these alien guys… and that girl you fought…" Gohan shook his head, "They're on a whole other level. I haven't encountered somebody with those kinds of skills in a long time."

Rebecca scrunched her face up a little as she looked down at her mug, completely overlooking the blonde woman sitting on the other side of the Saiyan and stirring a cocktail with a spoon, "The people from your world are incredibly strong… and they have so many unique abilities. It's almost unbelievable."

"Yeah. Almost makes me wish I had somebody like that on my side to help me out," Gohan said, before turning to Rebecca with an honest and warm smile. "Of course, I know you'll be more than enough company and support for me… especially when I start showing you my other tricks. That's going to be a lot of fun."

The princess's face lighting up indicated excitement at the prospect of what his words meant, "Do you think you'll be able to teach me how to fly as well?" That would be amazing.

"You bet. We just need to get some ki training into you and, after some polishing up, I'll have you soaring circles around me in no time," Gohan said, watching the stars of anticipation twinkle in the girl's eyes. After which he then looked ahead of him with a thoughtful visage. "Still though… if Bojack and his crew were able to come through the rift from my world and into this one… why didn't anybody else find it?" He then looked down. "Why couldn't my friends find it?"

"Maybe it was an accident?" Rebecca suggested. "You fell through it first when you opened it up and when the others tried to find it; it was already gone… or moved. Who knows… perhaps somebody else followed you through."

"Perhaps…" Gohan muttered, glancing to his right to the person next to him and cracking a joke at the stranger. "I mean… how many people in history were sucked into a black hole and spat out the other side?" His grin was good-natured, with his question doubling in an effort to make him appear cool.

"Oh… I think I have some idea," the blonde he was speaking to answered in a cool voice, before slowly turning to him.

It was then both the Saiyan and the blonde stopped and stared at each other, with the spiky haired Saiyan leaning back a little. After Gohan gave the person next to him a few confused glances, taking in her white skinny jeans, pale blue buttoned-up denim vest, golden loop earrings, shoulder-length blonde hair framing a mesmerizing face and sharp, cool blue eyes, the teen's mouth dropped a little when he finally recognized who she was seconds later.

Apparently the blonde also recognized who she was sitting next to as well, as indicated by her surprised blinked and open mouth.

"W-Wait," Gohan stammered, "Aren't you… Android 18?"

(TO BE CONTINUED)

* * *

Author's Note: Yet another chapter, and with a twist. Android 18! What dimensional conundrum is this?

Anyway, in all seriousness, Bojack and his group are the ones who followed Gohan to this world. The girls working for them are the same magical girls from the fan comic _**Dragonball: Multiverse**_. In this world, they're part of Launch's race (got all those who know Dragonball).

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter.


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